100 Moments in Time
by Twilight Phantom Dragon
Summary: 100 oneshots, 100 moments, 100 snapshots into the Ben 10 universe, when will such insanity end? For the 100 Theme Challenge... Gwevin, some Benlie, Darkcaster, and Mytrax. Rated T in case of violence and language.
1. Traps

**Author's Notes: Happy Holidays everyone! This is my first Ben 10 fanfiction though I've written other fanfiction before. Hopefully, this wasn't too bad. I'm still getting the hang of writing with the characters. On to business, I've decided to take the 100 Theme Challenge. I'll post a list of the 100 Themes on my profile if you want to go check it out and try to update periodically. And what better way to start than a holiday-themed one. I hope you enjoy this. Expect a lot of Gwevin as well as Kevin angst from me in this and future chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

--

"_Can I get a picture of you so that I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?"_

-Unknown

_**66. Traps**_

Ben sighed. He was so tired of Gwen and Kevin's constant flirting. They did it all the time even when he was there. Times like that were when he wanted to scream at them, tell them to just get together and save everyone the trouble. Yes, it could be sweet at times, but most of the time it just made him sick. They obviously liked each other, so why didn't they just get together? But no, things didn't work that way. The two continued their game, not making any moves to advance into an actual relationship.

Gwen had tried once, Ben recalled. And Kevin had moved away, not wishing to be pushed to ask Gwen out. Why Kevin had done it? Ben didn't know. Maybe it was because Kevin wanted to be the one to ask; maybe he had some other stupid reason. Frankly, it didn't matter much. But he did know one thing. If the two of them didn't get together before Christmas, tomorrow in other words, Ben would explode.

Which was why he had devised the most perfect of all plans. Ben grinned like a small child that had discovered a stash of candy. Oh yes, this would work. No doubt about it. Ben finished setting up his scheme and stepped back to view his handiwork. In one hand, he clutched a thin string. Once pulled, the plan would commence. He had to admit that it was brilliant, probably one of his best plots ever. And it would work, of that Ben was sure. If it didn't… Ben didn't want to think about it.

Hearing the sounds of Kevin's Camaro pulling up to the driveway of Gwen's house, Ben quickly rushed to hide, the grin still on his face. Oh, this would be excellent and the best Christmas either of them could've wished for.

_Let the game begin…_

--

Kevin sat in his green Camaro, fingers tapping the steering wheel nervously. He had been to Gwen's house before, but never for an extended amount of time (except for the incident with Verdona) and never, ever for a holiday. It wasn't too late to back out and drive back to his lonely apartment, but the thought of Gwen being disappointed that he hadn't come crushed that plan.

Finally, Kevin walked out of his car and up the path towards Gwen's house. Each crunching step was agonizingly long, but he was at the door way too soon. He couldn't stand around for too long as it was too cold and the increasing speed of the wind didn't appeal to him. Best to get things over with and hope Gwen answered the door. Not giving himself any time to pause, Kevin knocked once on the door.

He only had to wait a little bit before the door was open and Gwen was in front of him. A smile of relief that Gwen had answered the door instead of her one of her parents spread across his face. Instead of the awkward silence he would've faced with either of them, he got a chance to talk to Gwen, hopefully with no interruptions from her relatives.

"Kevin!" Gwen exclaimed, happiness lighting her face up.

"Hey Gwen," Kevin said casually as he wiped his shoes on the doormat to get rid of the remaining snow.

"I'm glad you made it." Gwen smiled at him, causing a surge of delight to flow through Kevin. He was definitely glad that he had come.

"Yeah, what would life be without me?" Kevin replied with a small smirk. Now that he was here, he might as well have his fun, joking around and being his regular self until her parents got here.

"A lot simpler," Gwen retorted. And yet, life without Kevin would be a lot worse, her mind echoed.

"And you'd be bored out of your mind." Kevin shot back, smirking and stepping back to avoid Gwen's hand as she reached to give the ex-criminal a shove.

"You could say that." How could she deny it? Life wouldn't be as interesting without Kevin to make her furious without breaking a sweat, to spend time with him was always so pleasant.

Before Kevin could reply, Gwen let out a small gasp. "Kevin…" Her voice was choked with slight embarrassment and a blush was spreading like wild fire over her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked, concern flickering over his face before being replaced with a light blush as he looked up to where Gwen's gaze was fixed.

For above their heads was a sprig of mistletoe. The plant looked harmless enough, some green leaves and white berries, but of course, it had its important traditions at the time of Christmas, making it dangerous to some folk. And a blessing to others. What was it to the two teenagers?

The blush went as quickly as it had appeared for Kevin and a self-satisfied smirk covered his face. "Well, we can't break traditions, can we?" Kevin asked in his regular voice though his eyes betrayed his nervousness, fear, and excitement.

"No…" Gwen murmured. Her eyes were still fastened on the mistletoe. "I guess we can't…" Her voice trembled slightly as her gaze left the hanging trap and fastened itself on Kevin's face. She had wanted to do this for so long, but as the moment encroached, she felt herself go inert.

Kevin's dark brown, almost black eyes, were smoldering and she felt herself caught in their depths. So fascinating… So alluring, was that the right word? She didn't know, didn't care. Were those orbs getting closer?

Kevin had taken a few steps towards Gwen. His face was so close to hers and he could smell her intoxicating breath as she watched his movements in a quiet daze. One of his hands lifted to cradle her chin. Gwen snapped out of the daze she had been caught in and moved her face closer to Kevin's, quickly closing the gap that existed between their lips.

The kiss was passionate as the two of them finally managed to get out their emotions for each other. Kevin's arms had snaked around Gwen's waist to pull her warm body closer to his. Gwen's arms were around his neck, holding tightly. Tongues met, greeted, danced. The icy wind blowing from the outside world into Kevin's back didn't even matter anymore. He wasn't aware of the outside world. Finally, when the need for air outweighed their passionate wants, the two pulled away from each other.

Both were panting slightly, foreheads pressing against each other. As breath was restored to their lungs and the rosy tinge on their faces started to recede, they leaned in to kiss again. But that kiss never connected as a voice broke the silence that had hung over the air.

"Finally! It took you long enough. You can say thanks to me." The voice was boasting. Kevin pulled away from Gwen, scowling at the source of the voice. Ben, just like him to ruin the moment.

Ben, noticing the glower on Kevin's face and the small frown on Gwen's, quieted down. He glanced between the two faces with a nervous smile. "Hey, without me, you two would _never_ have kissed. You can't hurt me for that." Ben smiled, trying to get away from the fact he had interrupted another kiss.

Kevin's scowl smoothed out a bit as he glanced upwards at the mistletoe. A thin string was tied around it and now that Kevin looked closer he could see the string extended all the way to Ben's fist. "So you placed it there, so we would kiss?" Ben nodded, still wearing that proud grin. "And then you decide to interrupt us?" The grin fell a bit.

"Kevin… Let it go." Gwen's voice broke the mood of a brewing fight. Kevin sighed, but didn't say anything else.

Ben stuck his tongue out at Kevin. Things had gone pretty well. He had managed to get the two of them together; he wasn't being hurt for having interrupted the two of them. Ben Tennyson was definitely proud of how his scheme had played out. Now all that this day needed was a smoothie and then some Christmas pudding and all would be fine.

Gwen, having caught sight of Ben, added, "Don't think that means you're off the hook for interrupting us." She smiled devilishly, Kevin smiling with her.

Ben's face fell and he ran a nervous hand through his brown hair. "Hey, come on… Don't be like that. Come on. I got you together, be grateful… You can always go make-out somewhere else. Somewhere that might be a little more private because the rest of us really would rather not watch." Ben found himself taking careful steps backwards as Gwen and Kevin approached him. He really didn't like the looks on their faces.

--

**A/N: Poor Ben, doing a good deed and getting in trouble. Well, I guess he's learned his lesson not to interrupt his cousin and Kevin when they're kissing. I don't know how often I'll be writing, but I'll try to write soon. Please review. I'll gladly take any advice anyone can offer me and it's always nice to read what you thought of the piece.**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	2. Hold My Hand

**Author's Notes: Well here we go with another oneshot. This one was random, and it came to me when I was walking downstairs for dinner. Yeah, weird stuff goes on in your head at the weirdest of times. I had trouble deciding on what theme this works with, so I grabbed one that slightly fit. For those of you who don't know, Kevin's middle name is in fact Ethan. Now enjoy on this early New Year's gift! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

--

"_Okay, using the dreaded middle name is not the best way to forge a bond."_

-Adam Brody

**_35. Hold My Hand_**

"Hold up, your middle name is Ethan." Gwen said, miraculously keeping a straight face as she spoke. However, Kevin could catch the small twitch of her lips, obviously containing giggles.

The two were outside the movie theatres, about to buy tickets for a horror movie Kevin had been dying to see and Gwen had agreed only to spend time with him. Their conversation had gone down a road that Kevin had hoped wouldn't come up for a long time. Unfortunately for the boy, it had come up. A conversation about one's middle name is never one to be enjoyed especially if she made the same connections he had made years ago.

Kevin sighed and with some impatience muttered, "…Yeah, so what?" He really hoped she wouldn't start thinking about it, but that hope was a false one. Her badly hidden laughter showed him she had already drawn the connections.

Gwen bit her lip, but a few giggles escaped the girl. "So Kevin Ethan Levin… Or should I say Kevin E. Leven?"

At this point, it was too much. Her body began trembling as she giggled. Soon, those giggles turned into hearty laughs and her shoulders shook. Kevin watched with little expression on his face except for some hints of boredom and impatience. A small amount of delight that she was laughing filled him, but it faded away as minutes passed. While he did love making her laugh, it was tiring to have laugh about his middle name. They were supposed to being going out, not hanging around and laughing at his middle name. This was what he got for getting the courage to ask her out.

"Okay, quit it." Kevin grumbled, placing a hand on Gwen's shoulder to steady the hysterical girl. "It's not that funny."

Slowly, Gwen regained control of herself. It was tough, controlling her trembling body and she had to clamp her mouth shut to hold in the laughs. After a while, the need to laugh began dying and she opened her mouth to take in large breathes. Laughter had ceased for the most part, but her cheeks were still rosy from the excessive laughter and she still wore a large smile. A giggle escaped her lips as she took in the air she so desperately needed after such a laughing session as this one.

Kevin watched her carefully, half expecting the girl to fall back laughing. This was not supposed to be how a first date went. They were supposed to go to the movies and then get something to eat before heading home. If things went well, maybe they would kiss. Okay, so things were never that simple, but laughing at his middle name had not been one of his ideas of what could happen on this date. It hadn't even struck him that it could happen anytime soon, let alone on their first date.

"You're right…" Another giggle escaped as Gwen failed to stifle it. "What were your parents thinking?"

Kevin tensed slightly at the mention of his parents and shot back defensively, "What were Ben and your parents thinking when they made all their kids' names rhyme?" Gwen winced slightly and gave the boy a small shove though she knew she deserved it after the ridicule his name had been faced with.

"No need to bring that up… You've already laughed about it enough times. It's not my fault that my parents wanted to make our names rhyme."

"And it's not my fault my parents wanted my middle initial and last name to sound like a number." Kevin answered back, smiling. "Maybe they wanted people to laugh at it. It certainly does brighten your mood up."

"My mood was already good. It just got better, that's all." Gwen smiled back at him, glad that he held nothing against her for laughing at him. Kevin's smile widened slightly, happy that Gwen was having a good time on their first date. If he had messed up anything, he would never have forgiven himself.

"Now, we should head inside. Don't want to be late." Kevin said, slipping his hand into Gwen's. He had been a bit nervous to do it, but he had always wanted to and now was as good a time as any. When Gwen smiled at him and grasped his hand, he knew he had done the right thing.

"Whatever you say, Kevin E. Levin." Gwen murmured, giggling.

Kevin simply rolled his eyes, secretly relishing the sound of Gwen's laugh. Hopefully he would be hearing it a lot more this night.

--

**A/N: Seriously, try and say Kevin E. Levin aloud. It'll sound like Kevin Eleven, or very close to it. I didn't notice this until I was telling a friend about how Kevin's middle name was Ethan. I laughed for quite some time on this one. Well, I hope to update soon. Until then, you can review if you want to make me happy or go and eat chocolate! Or even better, both. **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	3. Broken Pieces

**Author's Notes: Back again… The characters might be a little OOC here, I'm not sure. I tried my best, but such an occurrence is not a common one. This is some depressing Gwevin as well as some of Kevin's past. I have invented so many versions of his past. This isn't the one I think is the most accurate, but it fits well with this story. Well, how about you read on.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_A new wound makes all the old ones ache again."_

~Mignon McLaughlin, _The Neurotic's Notebook_, 1960

_**76. Broken Pieces**_

"_I hate you." Three words that shattered his life into millions of pieces. Three words that broke his heart._

--

"Kevin… Why did you do it?" Gwen's voice was begging, asking him to give a logical reason that wouldn't hurt her or her belief that he had changed. She was desperate for it to not be true, for it to all be some huge misunderstanding. But a part of her knew that it wasn't.

"You know why." Kevin said smoothly. He shrugged. "I don't know why you're so upset about it. It was just one little deal. Nothing more." His voice was uncaring though he wouldn't look at her. He didn't like seeing her when she was begging like this. It hurt him especially when he knew that he had been the cause of her anguish.

"It wasn't just one little deal!" Gwen screeched, her voice taking on a shrill quality. Why had he done it? He was different, wasn't he? "I thought you had changed… But you haven't." She shouldn't have said those words, but they were out before she could reel them in. At the moment, she didn't care.

Kevin looked over at her, his eyes burning angrily. "I have changed," he defended himself. He wasn't a selfish monster anymore who couldn't care less if the entire world burned. He had changed a lot. Sure, he was still selfish, but not as much as he had once been. He didn't want the world to burn anymore. He didn't hate everyone. He didn't recklessly risk the lives of others.

"Right." Gwen said with a roll of her eyes. "That's why you risked your life out in that deal. Risked your life as well as the life of anyone who was around. You could've…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to think about the possibilities. Her lecture continued after that short pause. "It's not something you should've done. It's something the old Kevin, the Kevin who didn't care, would've done."

Kevin glared at her. He hated thinking about his past. Yes, he had made mistakes, mistakes that could almost be considered okay if you knew the entire situation. But how dare she compare him to the boy he had been? "It was nothing." His tone had taken on a steel tone, guarded as it often did when anything from the past was brought up.

"Kevin, it wasn't nothing. You almost died, the aliens got away with the tech, and the surrounding area could've been blown to bits if Ben and I hadn't gotten there when we did. Is that what you wanted?" Gwen asked, glaring back at the boy.

"Of course not! You know I wouldn't want something like that to happen!" Kevin shouted at her. How could she think that he wanted that? She didn't even know all the reasons why he had taken on the alien deal in the first place.

"Right now, I'm not so sure." Gwen said, glancing away from Kevin's face as she said the words.

Kevin smirked slightly, wanting to get away from all this talk about his past. It wasn't helping him to recall the bad things he did. "It wasn't that bad. You're just exaggerating, but it's nice to know that you care that I didn't wind up dead."

The smirk was just too much for Gwen. "Get out, Kevin!" She shouted, pointing her finger towards the open garage door. She definitely couldn't stand to be around him at the moment. Who knew what would happen if he did go on being stubborn?

Kevin raised one eyebrow, but didn't move more than that. "You don't really want me to leave, do you?" He asked, his tone slightly playful. Yes, he knew he was pushing it, but he couldn't help himself. Despite his previous anger, it was clear that he had calmed down for the moment. It was also clear that he was trying to forget about her words. They had hurt and he would love to just forget they had never been uttered.

"Yes I do." Gwen snarled. She was tired of Kevin. Tired that he could shrug something so big off as if it didn't matter. Did anything matter to him?! Right now, she doubted it, but deep inside Gwen knew Kevin cared. She knew that he hadn't meant to cause so much trouble.

"Come on. Don't be like that." Kevin said casually. A part of his mind was telling him to pull back from the simmering half-Anodyte, but he couldn't help it. It was too much fun to poke at her and the cautious, smarter side of him lost the inner debate of whether to pull back or not.

"Kevin Levin," he winced slightly as she said his name in a cold voice, "Get out now." That definitely should've warned him to get out of there.

"Make me." Kevin countered quickly, still lounging casually against the wall.

Gwen took a few steps closer to him, still glaring at him. "Y-you…" Her voice trembled as she sought for words that would fit to describe the emotions she was feeling at the moment. "I-I…" Her voice trailed off again. She really didn't want to say it, didn't mean it. But if he said one more thing, she might explode.

"Yes?" Kevin asked sweetly, unaware of the words threatening to spill from her mouth. To him, this was still a game. A cruel game, pushing at someone's buttons, but a game nonetheless.

"I hate you!" Gwen spat out the words. Regret coursed through her as soon as the words left her mouth. What had she just said?! Gwen was stunned.

The effect on Kevin was instant. All his muscles tensed as he pushed himself up from his sprawling position against the wall. His eyes had glazed over as memories pushed at the carefully constructed wall that kept them from overwhelming him. That wall was cracking rapidly. Too fast to build it back up. Kevin took a few steps back, obsidian eyes watching her. She could see a look of pure despair fill them up. When was the last time she had ever seen him this vulnerable? Never… Kevin Levin didn't break down, but he was very close to it.

"Kevin…" Gwen said, reaching out one hand to the cowering boy. At first she had thought he would be angry, but he wasn't. She couldn't find words that would perfectly describe Kevin's face at that moment. Was that a look of betrayal that she saw? Of depression? Of tears not spilled? Of memories that were meant to be shoved away in a locked box spilling out of that box?

Before she could say anything else, Kevin spun away as if the mere mutter of his name had spurned him to get out. The boy ran towards the door as Gwen called his name again, "Kevin, stop!" He was out before she even got into the hallway.

--

Kevin had flung himself into the driver's seat of his green Camaro before pulling out. Now he was driving down an unknown road, no destination in mind. He just had to get away. The words thudded through his mind once more.

"_I hate you."_

They were venomous words, words that cracked his heart into bits. They had been said before by someone who he had loved. Who he had thought would always be there for him no matter what. Look what had happened to that relationship. Now she had repeated those same words. Why? How could she? Tears that were trying not to be shed blurred his vision.

"Mom…" Kevin whined quietly as the wall that usually kept the memories at bay broke down completely. He could barely see the road anymore as the memories swamped over, took away his senses to emerge them back to that day. The day that had ended him, that had first thrown him into a pit of growing sociopathy.

--

_He was 8 again. Back in the house he had lived in since he could remember. Maybe he lived elsewhere before he was born, he couldn't remember and his mom had never told him. Cheerful days had been spent here, a few sad ones, but mostly good ones (not counting the moments with his stepfather). Until this day. _

_Kevin had come home from school at his usual time. Unlike other kids, he didn't stay for afterschool activities. No one wanted him around anyway, why should he even try to get involved? He saw the way they glanced at him, the way they talked about him when they thought he wasn't listening, the way they talked to him when he was listening, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter that he was an outcast, not allowed the join in with the others as they played tag or soccer. He had his mom. She was always there for him even when her husband wasn't. _

_Strangely, the house was eerily silent. Kevin dropped his backpack down on the floor as he glanced into the living room. It was empty. "Mom." The boy called out, wondering where she was. She was always there for him. Always there when he came home. _

_Always. _

_A sound from the kitchen alerted him and he smiled. Maybe his mom was cooking something good for him. With that smile, Kevin walked towards the kitchen, expecting his mother to be standing by the oven watching cookies bake or chopping vegetables up for dinner. He was greeted with neither of these sights or any of the other sights his mind had dreamt up._

_What he saw was a darkened room, curtains drawn. Strange, his mother never closed the curtains. She loved the sunlight and Kevin had come to associate the brightness with the woman who loved him. Darkness wasn't her territory. Kevin's eyes skimmed over the dark kitchen and finally found the figure he had been looking for. His mom was standing with her back to the door, shoulders shaking. A frown of concern crossed Kevin's face. What was wrong with her? _

"_Mama…" Kevin walked towards her. What had happened? His mother almost never cried. She hadn't cried for a long time. What was wrong now? Was it about last night? That had been a complete accident. Kevin had said sorry. She wouldn't be angry about it, would she? No, she couldn't be. She never was; it was Will that got furious at him. "Mama…" Kevin repeated; one arm outstretched to touch her on one shoulder._

_His mother's body stopped shaking as that hand came in contact with her. She didn't turn around to face her son. "Go away." Her tone was quiet, almost pleading in a way._

"_Why, mama?" Kevin inquired, confusion flitting across his face. "What happened? Maybe I can help." His voice was just as quiet and pleading, begging for his mother to let him know what was wrong. She helped him all the time, so why couldn't he repay the favor? At least he could offer comfort in the way his mother had. _

"_No!" His mother shouted, shocking the poor boy so much that he stepped away from her. She whirled around to face him and Kevin was met with a haggard face. He could barely see the resemblance of her usual self in those darkened eyes, that dull, black hair that clutched to her head. It scared Kevin to see his mother look like such a complete stranger. _

"_What's wrong, mama?" Kevin asked again, hoping that she would answer him. Hoping that it had nothing to do with him, but how could it? He was her only son; she had said she loved him many times. This had nothing to do with him. She shattered all those thoughts with her next word. _

"_You." His mother pointed a finger at his face and Kevin noticed that she was holding a butcher knife in her other hand. Fear flowed through the boy. He didn't like what was going on. But she was his mother… She wouldn't hurt him. Maybe… His mind could offer no creative solutions as to what was going on. _

"_Mama, I didn't mean to do it yesterday. It was an accident." He reverted to begging, a thing he often did with his stepfather. It hadn't been his fault; she couldn't blame him for it. "I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault." Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he stared at the face that usually held so much comforting features. Today, no matter how hard he searched, none of those features could be found._

"_It's not just the blown-up TV from yesterday. It's all the previous times when you blew things up, when you 'accidentally' caused things to happen." Her tone was shaking in anger and Kevin took another step away from his mother as he watched her raise the knife. _

"_Mama! Stop, mama!" He whined. "None of that was my fault. They were all just accidents. Mama!" He cried, hoping that she would revert to her regular self. This side of his mother scared him. It was foreign, ugly, and something no child should see on their parents' face. _

"_It doesn't matter. You're a freak." The words sliced at Kevin's heart, the first injury of many that would be sustained on this day. Others had called him freak, his step-dad called him freak. But never his mother. She had simply called him special… Wasn't that good? "Why couldn't you be born normal?" Her voice was in a begging rage now and Kevin was afraid to say anything. "Why did you have to be born a freak? Why can't you be a normal son that I could love?" _

"_But you do love me, don't you Mama?" Kevin asked, his voice a small tremor in the face of this monstrous woman. When he wasn't answered right away, Kevin continued in a despairing tone, "You told me you loved me no matter what… Mama, you love me, right?" The slightest edge of hope, that she loved him despite his freaky attributes, was held in his voice and in eyes shining with unshed tears. _

"_No…" His mother's voice was quiet now as she glanced towards the ground. Her voice was trailing and Kevin imagined that it sounded unsure. A kid's mind would do that, when things weren't going well. That this was just something she said in anger. Suddenly her eyes hardened upon finding some resolution and she looked into his eyes. "I don't love you…" She trailed off again, as if she wasn't sure if she should say more._

"_Bu-But Mama…" Kevin's voice trembled as he stared into her stone-cold eyes. How could they change from warm and loving to this cold in so short a time? Hadn't it been only yesterday when she had greeted him at the door and told him a story of his dad, his real one, not the step-dad? "…You said you loved me…" His voice shook as tears started to slide down his pale cheeks._

"_Well I don't." His mother snarled. "Now, get out of my house. You don't belong here. You don't belong anywhere. You're just some freak. A freak no one can love." She spat the words, plunging them into the boy's heart and cruelly twisting her son's view of life. "Now get out before I do something you won't like at all." She lifted the knife in a threatening pose._

_It wasn't the knife that caused him to back away from this woman. What was going on? His head spun, words repeating themselves over and over again. "Mama….Mama…" He whined as he moved away from the one person who had loved him, the one person who had always offered him comfort. Now all that was gone._

"_I'm not your mother anymore. I wish I had never brought you into this world." She hissed at the boy and moved her knife towards him. He wasn't sure if she would hurt him, but he desperately hoped she wouldn't. _

_Kevin was still edging away, but he was slowing, reluctant to leave despite the insults thrown and the wounds sustained on his breaking heart. There was still a part of him that hoped his mother would come to her senses, say sorry, pull him into her arms, and wipe away the falling tears. But it didn't happen. Instead three words, three words that hurt more than any dagger could, were uttered in that kitchen._

"_I hate you." Her voice was dead serious and the realization of what those words meant fell heavily atop the boy. More tears spilled from him. "No one can love you." _

_The woman opened her mouth to say more, but Kevin had run. He didn't want to look at his mother. No! She wasn't his mom anymore. He had no parents. His stepdad hated his guts, he knew from the way the man always looked at him with such contempt. His stepfather thought he was a freak. And now his mom had thrown him out. They didn't care. They didn't love him. No one loved him. And how could someone love him? He was a freak, a freak stuck in a very human and normal body. A freak… Yes, that's what it meant. A freak couldn't find love or even care anywhere. _

_Where was he going to go? He didn't know. What was he going to do? He didn't know. How was he going to live? Maybe he should just die. It would make everyone on the planet happier, wouldn't it? That had been what his mother said, and everything she said was true or so the boy had always thought. So what now? With no one to care for him, what could he do? Maybe hide away, use his freak powers to his advantage. _

_But why should he? That almost made him give up right then and there, but he held back from electrocuting himself as a reason formed. _

_He would live in a world that hated him. A world that wanted him dead. Just to scorn it. The 8-year old laughed, the thought pleasing his mind, which was slowly twisting as his mother's words ran through his mind. Yes, that's what he would do. He would scorn them all. Show them that a freak like him could stay alive. More laughter came from the boy as he ran. _

_That's what he would do. Survive and laugh. _

--

"_I hate you."_

Those had been her exact words. How could she do it? Gwen didn't know. She had just been so angry at him for nearly blowing up the place. No, it wasn't only that. It was also the nonchalant manner that he had adopted about the whole deal. And the fact that he had nearly died. When he had pushed her in that annoying way he always did, she had lost it.

Those three words were a big lie. It wasn't true. She loved him despite all his faults, his arrogance, his snide comments, all just a part of him. But when she had said those words, all that confidence, the manner which he usually conducted himself in, had shattered into innumerable pieces. She wasn't even sure how far it had gone; just that it had caused damage to the boy.

Gwen bit her lip. She couldn't stand it. She had to go after him. Apologize, beg for forgiveness, tell him that she didn't hate him. She loved him and she needed to tell him that. It was the least she could do. Maybe he would forgive her, maybe he wouldn't. She didn't exactly deserve it. Gwen had to tell him she had been angry over that stupid deal, why had he even gone through with such a thing? For the thrill?

_His eyes stared into hers before darting around, seeking escape from the situation. He hadn't wanted to be found out, but there was also a look of relief. He was happy she was there to help him out, help him get away from these enemies of his that he had been dealing with. _

No, she couldn't think negatively. His face, when caught in the crime, had worn a guilty expression at being seen dealing with scum. But his eyes had also been relieved that she and Ben had gotten there when they did? So it wasn't for thrills… What then? Could he want something? Perhaps another message that had ended up in the Black Market?

_As she contained the explosives with her manna, she couldn't help glance towards Kevin. He wasn't in a good condition. Blood caked his face and she could see numerous other wounds. Apparently, the aliens he had been dealing with hadn't been too friendly. However, he wasn't watching her. He was hastily stuffing something away. _

She had forgotten about it in her rage, but she could recall the box he had stuffed away. It had been black, hard to see in the darkness. It hadn't looked remarkable at all. Just a plain, black box containing who knows what. Kevin knew, Gwen reminded herself as she stuffed her arms into a jacket.

"I'm coming, Kevin… Don't do anything stupid." Gwen murmured to herself as she pushed open her front door and began running, tracking Kevin easily with his handkerchief. She had meant to give it back, but she had kept it instead, too embarrassed to hand it over to the boy after the lengthy time she had kept it for. He would just have teased her anyway.

--

A crash on his roof brought Kevin out of his reverie. Usually, he would have pummeled whoever dared lay a hand on his beloved car, but today was not a usual day. Instead, he came to a screeching halt and got out, a look of despair on his face. He really didn't want to have to fight some alien right now. All he wanted to do was curl up and die. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement… Then again… Kevin didn't have much time to think about it as he looked at his car.

As he saw the damage, a dent to his roof, Kevin felt a small tremor of anger rush through him. Then again, why should he hold back? Maybe pummeling an alien would drive away this sadness, this depression. Kevin's eyes flicked around, searching the area for the alien who had dared smash his roof.

A large Vulpimancer watched, growling at him. It was larger than Wildmutt, much larger. The vulpimancer's fur was mostly a sleek orange, but dark red stripes came down its back and haunches. Giant teeth protruded from its jaws and drool fell to the ground. Flecks of green paint surrounded black claws. A metal collar was wrapped around the creature's neck, the emblem of one of Kevin's multiple enemies etched on to it.

"You're so paying for the car." Kevin shouted angrily, but he didn't put the usual energy into it. He couldn't, not with the fresh memory of Gwen and his mother yelling at him. While he had gotten over his mother thinking him a freak, Gwen hating him wasn't something he could handle.

She was the first person to reach out for him, to show him compassion. Before her, he hadn't known love after what his mother did to him. He had thought everyone hated him and that no could love him. However, she had shown him love. Her words had stung him, stabbed at his heart. He couldn't concentrate on anything without seeing her in his mind. It was immensely distracting and definitely not the right mood to fight in.

The punches he swung at the vulpimancer once he had absorbed the metal of his car weren't as strong and spirited as usual. Why should he care? Meanwhile, the vulpimancer lunged at him, digging fangs into his arms and making dents on his armor. It wouldn't be long before the covering shattered. What would happen next? Kevin found himself caring less and less about his fate.

Kevin swung another fist at the vulpimancer, but it quickly jumped out of the way. Leaping over him, the vulpimancer proceeded to kicking the boy. He flew through the air before landing on the ground, rolling a few feet. His metal armor was chipped away at, showing pale skin and clothing.

The vulpimancer jumped after its prey, landing heavily atop the ravaged boy. It dug its incisors into his arm. Kevin would've fought back harder, but he couldn't find the energy to fight.

_I hate you._

Those three words haunted him. They rendered his arms useless. All fighting spirit drained away from the boy. Sure, he should've been fighting to keep on surviving like he always had. He could live on his own, stay away from people that would only end up hurting him. But he would still love her and living with the ache of those words forever didn't appeal to him.

_Survive and laugh._

That had been his old motto, his old way of living. But now, he couldn't go back to that. Why? Because there was nothing to laugh about. She _hated _him. Maybe if he had waited a little longer, maybe if he hadn't been attacked right away, he would still care. He would still fight. But the wound was too raw for him to forget about it.

So he lay there, letting the beast rip at his body. Blood was pooling quickly around his form and pain held him tightly in its clenches. Kevin sighed, his eyes closing.

--

Gwen had been running for a while now, but she stopped as the smell of blood hit her. Turning her head, she spotted an orange creature like Wildmutt bent over something… No, not something, someone. Sighing, Gwen began running towards it. Why did there always have to be an alien around to interrupt?

"Hey, leave whoever you have alone. Humans aren't on the menu." Gwen shouted at the creature, throwing a ball of manna at the creature.

It growled at her, turning away from the human it had been attacking to look at this new prey. Catching sight of the collar, Gwen aimed at it. A pink band wrapped around the collar, crushing it. The creature had been about to jump at her, but it stopped as the collar fell to pieces. Sniffing the pieces, the creature shook its head roughly.

"Go off, you're free from whatever controlled you." Gwen said impatiently at the creature who stalked away. It appeared as the vulpimancer had better places to be than fighting a human with manna powers. She didn't have time for this, she had to find…

Her thoughts came to a standstill as she noticed the green car that had been parked beside the sidewalk. Kevin's car. She would recognize the vehicle anywhere. Her eyes turned back to look at the body lying in the grass and the pool of dark blood around it.

"No…" Gwen murmured softly, running up to the body. It couldn't be him; he wouldn't do this badly in a fight. He could beat it, he was strong enough. Quiet reassurances ran through her mind, but they were all useless.

Because she knew they weren't true. She knew who it was.

"Kevin! Kevin…" Gwen kneeled by his battered body.

To say he looked terrible would be the biggest understatement of the year. There were deep gashes on his arms and his chest. Blood still flowed from his wounds. His shirt was torn, so that it would more likely be considered rags than actual clothing. His jeans were torn as well, but not as badly. Kevin's face was marked with cuts made from the claws and vicious fangs of the vulpimancer.

"Please Kevin," Gwen whimpered as she touched the boy's wrist. A small stir of hope ran through her.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. That hope was shot.

Tears welled up in Gwen's eyes. He couldn't be dead. Damn it, he was Kevin Levin, the boy who had spent time in the Null Void and lived despite all the monsters in there. He could not be dead, could not be dead. The last words she had said to him drummed in her mind.

_I hate you._

"Kevin… I don't hate you." Gwen murmured softly as the tears fell down her face. Why did she have to say that? Those words had killed him, the vulpimancer merely the one who killed his body. She had killed him. There was nothing worse than killing the one you love.

More tears fell down her cheeks. Numbly, she noticed something in the pocket of his jeans. She took the object out. It was the black box, the one from the alien deal that had started this whole mess. Still numb with despair, she opened it with trembling fingers. Two items were in the box. The first was a piece of paper depicting a map of the DNAlien hives on Earth. The next was…

_I…_

How could she have ever said those wicked words? She hadn't even meant them. They were just quick words, words said out of anger over that stupid deal. And she hadn't even known why back then. Why hadn't she let him explain? Why?! His reason had been justified, mostly, as she looked upon the objects. "Kevin, I know you'll never forgive… You can't." Her speech stopped as another sob escaped her. Her mind was becoming too muddled to form coherent thoughts.

_Love…_

"Why? Why did I have to open my stupid mouth and say them?" Just three words, they were all it took to kill Kevin Levin. Three words that hadn't even been true. Lies, the biggest lie Gwen had ever uttered. That was all. And yet they had done so much more damage. "I didn't mean them."

_You…_

"Kevin, I love you…" The words gushed out of the sobbing girl. "I love you…" She knew that she meant them. Who cared that she was still young? Some people said that it was impossible to find love so early. Gwen didn't agree. She loved Kevin.

_Too late…_

The softest whisperings of the wind as it rustled the leaves was her only answer, the only answer she would ever receive. Other than that, the area was quiet minus the sobs from the girl as she buried her head into his chest, not caring about the blood. In one hand, she clutched a ring that contained a purplish gem the color of her manna.

_I love you._

_I can't hate you._

_But I do hate myself. _

--

**A/N: Wow… That was a lot more depressing than I had thought it would be. When I started, I wasn't sure how this would end. I guess after the more lighter stories from before, I wanted to write something darker and angst-filled. Well this was the result. Sorry if you don't like depressing. After a lot of begging from my sister who read this, I have decided to try writing an alternate end to this story… A happier one. I'm not entirely sure if I will finish it, but if you guys want it, I'll do my best to do it. Please review.**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


	4. Love

**Author's Notes: This is the alternate ending to the previous oneshot. Mostly written because my sister asked me to and because I needed to write something that had a lighter note to it. Well, I guess this isn't exactly lighter, but something with a happy ending, a story-book ending if you like to call it that. This starts off when Kevin's fighting the Vulpimancer. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_Love cures people, both the ones who give and the ones who receive it."_

~Dr. Karl Menninger

_**2. Love **_

Kevin's eyes narrowed as he watched the prowling Vulpimancer. A few minutes ago, it had landed on the roof of his beloved car and left a considerable dent. Obviously, Kevin was not happy. He was already in a bad mood; this alien had chosen the wrong day to mess with him. Yet, something kept him from instantly turning the creature into a bloody mess.

This wasn't the fact that the collar aroused any curiosity in the boy; he was beyond caring who sent dangerous beasts after him. No, the fresh memories of Gwen's words still lay heavily in his mind. They kept him from making the first punch, from lunging at the snarling Vulpimancer. Why had she said that? He would've loved to call her at the moment and tell her that there were aliens in town. Too bad he couldn't.

"Looks like I'm fighting you solo." Kevin informed the beast and was answered with another growl. "Fine by me." Kevin had quickly absorbed the green metal of his car.

The fight ensued. The Vulpimancer was a prime predator; adapted to kill prey both smaller and larger than it. Its claws were a force to be reckoned with and with the giant canine teeth, things were bad enough. Of course, you always had to calculate in the fact that it had an olfactory sense that could detect anybody with a precision that others lacked. And this particular Vulpimancer was in the age range where it was at its most powerful. Definitely not something most would ever want to face.

Kevin wasn't most, obviously. But he had sustained injuries that day that went beyond the regular bruises and cuts he got from fighting. Even a broken arm would've been far better than a broken heart. It was seriously depriving him of the simple will needed to fight well and the memory kept coming to mind as he tried to keep his attention based on the beast in front of him. Despite that, Kevin continued to swing his fists at the Vulpimancer as it lunged at him.

Luck seemed to be with Kevin that day as one of his fists connected with the beast's jaw. A crack was heard and a small smirk played across Kevin's face for a few moments before being replaced by the frown that he had worn for most of this day. Kevin had broken the creature's jaw, causing the Vulpimancer to take a step backwards out of pure confusion.

It was the hunter, not he. This Vulpimancer couldn't recall the last time it had felt pain from anything, let alone what it was supposed to be hunting. Snarling, the Vulpimancer spat a wad of blood on to the ground. In the middle of that pool of blood was a tooth that Kevin had dislodged. An injury like this one wasn't about to discourage the creature from its hunt and before Kevin could take advantage of its shock, it had leapt at the boy with a thunderous roar.

"You better get your mangy paws off—" Kevin was interrupted as his back collided with the ground. If it hadn't been for the armor around him, he would surely have cracked a rib from such an impact. As things go, the only thing that broke was the armor.

The Vulpimancer roared in Kevin's face and Kevin wrinkled his nose at the odor of its breath. Let's just say, it wasn't a pleasant smell and it reminded Kevin of a mixture of rotten meat and sewage. That was the closest comparison that could be drawn. The alien appeared almost smug as it towered over Kevin and raised a clawed paw up.

Part of Kevin's mind screamed at him to move, to absorb the concrete that he had landed on, to do anything, but sit there. The other part just continued its monophonic chant;

_I hate you. I hate you. Who cares if you die? No one loves you, no one can._

Those last words were those of his mother's. They were now at the fore-front of his mind, right beside Gwen's words. Once again, his mind protested for him to move. Kevin ignored that part, his eyes solely fixated on the paw as it traveled towards him. Everything seemed to be in slow-motion. Kevin was dimly aware that he should be having flashbacks of his life, wasn't that how it always worked. However, his mind was simply spewing up its chant as if that had been the only thing that had ever been in his mind.

"Move!" A high voice brought him out of his quiet reverie before death's harbinger, in this case the paw of a Vulpimancer, could pierce his chest.

Kevin had barely started absorbing the concrete below him when something, he hadn't been paying enough attention to see what that something had been, smacked the Vulpimancer. The Vulpimancer raised its head, paw mid-motion, and growled at the intruder. Kevin took his chance of the creature's distraction to once against punch the beast in its jaw just as the voice shouted,

"Get away from him!"

Now that he wasn't at death's darling doorstep, Kevin realized that the voice was familiar. A feeling of sickness swept over him. Why? That was what he wanted to know. Why did she stop the Vulpimancer?

Unfortunately, the alien was not down and she had begun to fight it. Kevin would have to save his questions for later. Or he could run. The prospect was a nice one, but the truth was that he didn't want to. A part of him, a part of him that his mother hadn't entirely destroyed with her hateful speech, still held a childish hope that she would undo those words and everything would be joyful again. Like that ever happened in real life.

She had probably only come here after hearing of alien activity. How, Kevin didn't have the answer to that. Kevin snapped out of his thoughts as he watched the Vulpimancer rake its claws across her forearm.

Anger crossed his face. She might hate him, but he still loved her no matter how much it hurt. And he didn't want her to get killed by that overgrown, flea-bitten mutt. Kevin ran at the Vulpimancer and grabbed it by its tail. He swung the beast away from the girl, his muscles protesting. It appeared as if his body wasn't entirely fine from the earlier fall. Oh well, he could deal with that.

The Vulpimancer landed on its feet, growling at its two opponents. Before it could jump at either of them again, a blast of pink manna hit the collar around its neck. The device broke, leaving a very confused Vulpimancer. It seemed to peer closely at the two though that was a ridiculous thought. A Vulpimancer couldn't peer even when it did look as if it was staring right at you because it lacked eyes. Then it loped off, deciding that there were easier pickings elsewhere.

Kevin didn't look at Gwen as he finally allowed the concrete covering to leave him. He felt defenseless without it, but it wasn't as if armor of any kind could protect his heart. "Thanks," muttered Kevin before turning to walk towards his waiting car. The dent looked really bad from here.

"Wait, Kevin." Gwen called softly. One of her hands flew up to his shoulder and he froze at the warm touch. She could feel him stiffen under her hand, but she didn't remove it. She was too afraid that he would run if she took away her hand. Run and hide.

Kevin wasn't sure how to deal with this. He wanted to run. It was the easiest option. It meant not having to deal with all this. The option was attractive as it was the only thing he could do to shield himself from more harm from her. But he couldn't. Her warm touch, one that he craved desperately, kept him firmly rooted to the ground. Not even the chant in his mind, _I hate you. I hate you. Who cares if you die? No one loves you, no one can,_ could bring him to lift his feet.

"Gwen, before you say anything, let me tell you this." Kevin's voice was strained as he spoke. He didn't want to break down in front of her, but it was rough to keep a tough face when there was so much sorrow in him. "If it's going to be another thing like…" Not finding himself to be able to say it, he substituted, "Like earlier, than drop it. Leave now." He finished, proud that he had managed to keep his voice from cracking.

"It is about earlier, but not like that." Gwen spoke quickly, afraid that any second he would flee. She couldn't handle anymore exertion after the run from her house to find him and the fight. "Kevin, I want to say that I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry." Her voice trembled as she spoke and tears had quickly gathered. Kevin said nothing, his mind suspicious, his heart jumping despite those suspicions.

"Kevin, I really mean it. I don't hate you." Gwen paused and a strangled laugh escaped her. "In fact, I hate myself for saying that."

What Kevin wanted to say was that she shouldn't hate herself for her words. What he said instead was, "Then why did you say it?" His tone was one of great suspicion.

"I don't know…" Gwen cried out before adding, "I guess I was just… angry." It was a poor word choice that hardly described what she had been feeling then. But even then, that feeling hadn't been hatred. "I know how it sounds… I just needed a way to let loose that anger. You say crazy things when you're mad."

That was so true. Kevin sighed. He wanted to show her how glad he was that her words weren't true, but his pride kept him from showing that gratitude. Rather than open himself up, there was the other option of yelling at her to make her pay for her actions. But Kevin couldn't bring himself to do that. Knowing that the silence was starting to drive at her, Kevin finally settled on what he believed would be the best path. Story-time.

"I know you didn't mean it." Kevin started, his eyes staring at the ground. "It's just that my first thoughts were that you were serious… The last time someone told me that they hated me, I questioned it and it ended up blowing up in my face." Kevin hesitated. Despite the years that had passed, the memories still hurt.

"If you don't want to talk about it, don't. But if you do, I'm ready to listen." The gentle tone of her voice convinced him that he needed to tell her this. She would understand and maybe it would even make him feel better. It was worth the shot.

"It's a long story, so let's go and sit in the car." They walked into the car. Kevin launched into the tale with these words, "I came home from school, but all the lights were off."

--

Silence permeated the car as Kevin finally finished the story. His eyes were staring at the steering wheel in front of him, waiting for Gwen's reaction. He didn't want pity, that was the last thing he would ever have wanted. He didn't need the pity. Finally Gwen spoke up.

"Kevin… I shouldn't have said it." Her voice was loud after the silence. "And I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry for it. It isn't your fault." Kevin interrupted. "Apologizing for something you have no control over is useless. You didn't even know me back then."

The two lapsed back into silence. Warmth on his shoulder prompted Kevin to glance over into Gwen's emerald eyes. They stayed like that for a while; Kevin marveling at the heat that stirred in his heart at this simple touch and Gwen savoring the chance to try and comfort the boy.

"Kevin, I promise I'll never do it again." Gwen spoke softly. "I don't hate you at all. I…" Her voice trailed off. This felt like the right moment to say it, but was it really? Kevin needed to hear it, to be reassured that she could never hate him. With that thought, Gwen shoved the doubts away and continued, "I love you."

The proclamation brought another period of silence to the car as Kevin digested the words. They were three simple words. Three words that could change lives. But unlike the dreadful words his mother had uttered, these words brought with them a better life, a life of comfort and love. He knew that she was sincere when she said it; the love in her eyes was evident even to the most unversed in the ways of love. However he wasn't sure if he was ready for the complete immersion

Kevin smirked, "I knew you couldn't resist me." Gwen playfully smacked his arm and began to lean back into her own chair. However, before she had completely retracted from him, Kevin grabbed her arm and leaned in close. "And I love you too."

---

**A/N: Isn't that a much happier ending than the previous? I hope you're pleased. I was trying to go for something heartwarming. Truth be told, this was harder to write than the other one. I also think I did a better job writing the other one, but that's just my opinion. You can tell me yours by clicking that button down below. The one that says review on it. Very simple, isn't it? See you,**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


	5. 62

**Author's Notes: Sorry for late update. I've been busy planning a chapter fic, doing homework, and watching a lot of Digimon (which may write fanfiction for eventually). Don't worry, I don't plan to abandon this collection of oneshots. I shall try and update more frequently especially since the season finale really inspired me. Two notes… 1) There's going to be a season 3! Isn't that awesome? 2) They said Kevin's full name in the show! And to think I wrote about it… Well, on to the actual oneshot… **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

--

_"Do you want to know what my problem is? I will tell you what my problem is, I LOVE YOU I love your name, I love the way you look at me, I love your gorgeous smile, I love the way you walk, I love your beautiful eyes, I love what you look like when you are asleep, I love the sound of your laugh, to hear your voice fills my entire heart with an indescribable feeling. I love the way I can be having the worst day of my life and seeing you completely changes my mood. I love how when you touch me I get weak, that is my problem...."_

-Unknown

_**70. 62**_

_I'm not trying to be dreadfully romantic with this. That's not me. So don't ask me what prompted me to write this. I would love to say someone else made me do it, but there are two things wrong with that. One is that I would be lying (which I'm generally okay with except with you), and the other is then I'd seem weak for bending my will to another. Not fun, and definitely not me. _

_So what am I doing, writing this terribly cheesy list of truths? I don't know. Avoid asking me if you ever see this. Part of me hopes you read it and that it brings a smile to your face; the other part of me fears that if you see this you'll think I've gone soft. And I have definitely not gone soft. The worst possibility is that… Well I'm too afraid to write it down even if the thought plagues my mind day and night. Yeah, it's that annoying. _

_Now that we've got that straight, I think it's time I stop wasting time and get to writing this list. A list of the 62 things I like about you (told you it was cheesy). There's no real order to these though the last one is definitely my number one. _

_62) I like your red hair. Actually that's a lie. I LOVE your red hair. When the sun makes your hair shine like flames (what am I becoming? A poet?!), I think it's the most beautiful color in the world. I want to run my hands through it. If I could, I would spend my entire life (or at least a big portion of it) stroking your soft hair. _

_61) I like your emerald eyes. They're the most beautiful color I've ever seen, other than your hair in the sun. I could stare for hours in your eyes and be completely lost in them. Imagine me, falling into a girl's eyes? Don't believe it? Well, it's true no matter how ridiculous it sounds. _

_60) I like the way your lips turn up when you smile. That's why I do a lot of the stuff I do. Not the bad stuff like when I traded that alien tech, just the stupid stuff that makes you smile. I know I look like a fool, but at least I'm a fool who gets to see a girl smile._

_59) Speaking about smiles, your lips appear better and more satisfying than… chocolate cake! Yes, I would trade my car to kiss those lips of yours. You better not tell anyone. They'll all laugh. Maybe you're laughing right now. _

_58) I like your body. I love it more than you could ever imagine. All I want to do is hug you and never let go. Kiss you and never let you leave my side. It's terrible, the way I'm after you. But I can't help it. You're hot. _

_57) Your laughter is like music. I'd stick straws in my nose any day if it makes you laugh (which is why I did it. I'm not a moron… Okay maybe sticking straws in my nose to get you to laugh is moronic). So long as I get to hear it. _

_56) I like it when we dance together. I know I've only danced once with you, on the night after Ben laid his eggs, but I would love to dance with you again. It was worth it to wear that suit and to learn how to put on a bow tie. Even the useless fork arrangement lessons were worth that one dance. Maybe you'll dance with me again. I'd like that even if I have to get dressed up. _

_55) I like wrapping my arms around you. The first time I did that was when we were younger and I was that terrible mishmash of Ben's aliens. Remember? I used you for bait to get Ben to surrender. It's not a good memory, so I don't know why I brought it up. Maybe it's because it was that day that I was struck by how delicate you were. Though I wasn't thinking about it in a lover's way. More of a she's-easy-to-squish way. A better memory is when I carried you out the first time Ben fought with a HighBreed. I know you were struggling to get out, but I enjoyed feeling you close by. _

_54) I like how you won't let people make you do something you don't want to do. Bringing up that moment again when I was dragging you out, you didn't want to leave. So you fought against me. Not a lot of girls have that spirit. But you do. And I love it. _

_53) I liked arguing with you about your powers. That doesn't happen anymore since we all know it's not magic. Still, I can remember when you thought it was magic and when I knew it was alien heritage (I told you so). _

_52) Staying on the subject of powers, I like how you use your powers for good. Back when I was younger, I didn't care who got hurt because of my powers. It was all about me. As long as I was happy, nobody else mattered. You were never like that. You've always used your powers to help others. I love that about you. _

_51) I actually enjoy it when you lecture me about speeding or disapprove of the collection of unpaid tickets that is slowly building up in my car. You're giving me attention and I like that. It's nice to know that you care about me. But don't worry; no one will ever drag me to jail due to a dozen unpaid tickets. They can't catch me. _

_50) I like it when you look my way. I like meeting your eyes and seeing something reflected in them. I don't like it when you're scared, but I like the fact that I can protect you since I know what's wrong. Your eyes show your true emotions, so when you look at me, I can always tell. Okay, maybe I shouldn't tell you that since now you might not look my way anymore… I guess I'll be able to tell you're hiding something when you avoid my gaze. _

_49) I like the trust you put in me. I don't know if I deserve it, but I hope I do. You didn't give up on me even when I took off with the Rustbucket. For that, I thank you. If you hadn't trusted me, I don't know what I would do. _

_48) This isn't a specific thing I could name. It's just a moment that I enjoyed with you. It's the time when I was a large statue courtesy of Vulkanus. The feel of your hands on my skin was such a relief after being locked in that cold stone. You'll never know the feelings that washed through me, but they made me love you more. It also made me cherish your touch. _

_47) I like the way you make me a better person. If it wasn't for you (and Ben), I would still be trading alien tech to other bad guys and ripping people off. Even if I still rip people off, I do a lot more good now. Maybe not gold-metal hero material, but good enough. _

_46) I like the way you worry about me when I'm hurt. I'd rather you save yourself, but it's pleasant to know someone else cares about me. The last time someone cared for me was a long time ago. It's nice to know you'll always be there to treat my wounds even if I insist I'm fine. _

_45) I like the way you think over things before rushing into them. It's the exact opposite of me. I prefer to charge in with my fists flying and then ask questions. You think about things, make plans. Sometimes you even find other ways to go through with things. I might prefer my impulsive style, but I like it when you hold me back. _

_44) I like it how you chose your friends and family over an education in your powers on Anodyne. It was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but you decided to stay here. I was happy when you said you would stay. You wouldn't believe how scared I was. I wouldn't want anyone to know how scared I was, but it was definitely a lot worse than being in the Null Void. The Null Void is cake compared to the thought of you leaving. _

_43) You're a fighter. And I like that. You're not like other girls who shriek in terror and run from a fight or wait for a knight in shining armor or whatever to come. You'll fight back with your mana and your karate. Even if I do come and rescue you like the first time we fought Morningstar, you're not going to stand around at the sidelines. You helped us out and I guess I became the 'damsel' in the end (though without me, I'm not sure you would not have found the strength to fight him). _

_42) I like watching you do karate especially when you use your moves against other guys. I guess that's why I watch your karate tournaments. I don't really care for what's going on; I just want to watch you kick butt. _

_41) You're nice. Maybe that'll get you in trouble someday, but you don't know how happy I am that you are nice. I'm not talking about the large acts of kindness that you do. I'm talking about the minor things. Like helping that confused alien baby or bringing me soda when I was busy with repairs. _

_40) You're a lot more sensitive than I'll ever be. I don't need to evaluate here. It's who you are._

_39) I like feeling the warmth of your body against mine. When I turned back to normal after that crazy time anomaly in Los Soledad turned me old, I leaned against you for a while. I didn't need to. I just wanted to feel your warmth radiating into me. It reminds me of when I was younger and my mom was there to hug me close. _

_38) You smell good. No, it's not creepy that I know what you smell like. I like the scent; a mixture of cherry (I think it's from whatever soap you use, but I dunno), vanilla, and something uniquely you that I can't begin to name. _

After those, there were 23 more reasons that she quickly skimmed over. She didn't want to read to in-depth in them, in case he came back. He would be angry, furious, but she couldn't stop now. She got the main point of each reason before finally reaching the big one.

_1) The thing I love best about you is that you make me like you. That doesn't make sense, does it? It doesn't make sense to me either. I suppose I'm saying that everything that makes up you makes me love you. Yes, I do get annoyed of you sometimes, but that's natural. If anything, it makes me love you more. I don't know if you love me like I do, but I love you more than I've ever loved anything else. Does that mean a thing to you? If it does, I'm glad. If it doesn't, well… I'm too afraid to write it down. It haunts me enough in my nightmares._

_So why did I write this list of reasons I like you if I'm never even going to show you? Mostly to tell myself why I like you. To see if I love you enough to think up 62 reasons why I like you. Maybe one day I'll work up the guts to give this to you, or send it by mail. Do your parents read your mail? I hope not. That would be quite the show if they ended up reading this, wouldn't it? _

_Well, I would say I've wasted enough time writing, but… I actually don't think this is a waste of time. I actually enjoyed this… Great, I really am going soft. I'll be watching chick flicks without you prodding me to watch one with you and writing poetry next time you see me… Ack! I need to go and do something more fitting for someone like me. Like kick alien butt (or human butt if there are no aliens). Or race my car. _

She finished reading and stared at the rather normal collection of papers, all stapled together. It had been on the floor of his new car that he had got yesterday. She had never known that Kevin wrote anything except what was required for school (and even then, she had her doubts about how much work he actually did). The bold, scrawled title of "62 Reasons Why I Like You" hadn't exactly helped to stifle that curiosity.

"You done with that?"

Gwen looked up, her emerald eyes meeting charcoal eyes. Kevin. A blush covered her cheeks and she handed the bundle of papers to the boy's waiting hand. He didn't glance at them. Instead he was staring intently at her.

Gwen couldn't think of what to say. He didn't look mad. His expression was blank, which caught her off-guard. Shouldn't he be mad? Or had he purposely placed the papers there, in the hopes she would read?

"I-I-I-I--" Gwen stuttered out, Kevin still watching her with those blank eyes. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Gwen began speaking, "I didn't know you write for fun."

Kevin glanced at the papers in his hand. "I normally don't."

Silence invaded the space. Gwen shifted uncomfortably in the seat of Kevin's new car. Kevin continued to stare at the papers as if they would spontaneously combust if he stared hard enough. Nothing happened for a few minutes as both sought for words.

Kevin was thinking of what he would do if Gwen laughed at him. It was a miracle she hadn't started laughing yet, but maybe she was still too shocked. Maybe she would laugh anyway. He couldn't handle that. Unfortunately, he couldn't flee without leaving his new car behind.

Gwen was thinking of what to say to explain her feelings for Kevin. The fact that he liked her didn't make it any easier for her to explain her own emotions. Finally she settled on something simple.

"I liked it." Her voice was small, but it sounded so much larger after that period of meditation.

Kevin looked away from the papers to look at her. He could see the truth in her eyes. She wasn't lying. She really did like it. But did that necessarily mean that she felt the same way?

Kevin did not like feeling weakness. He did not like feeling vulnerable. So he channeled that weakness and transformed it into boldness. Maybe she didn't feel the same way, but he couldn't stop himself. He certainly deserved it for having his privacy invaded upon.

He leaned forwards, causing a small gasp of surprise from Gwen as he pushed his lips against hers. It lasted for a second or two; a simple first kiss full of all the love and nervousness (did she feel the same way?) that had built up in him.

Kevin leaned backwards, savoring the taste left from her cherry lip-gloss. A smile spread across her face and she leaned forwards. This time the kiss was more passionate, but every bit as satisfying as that first peck had been. Kevin's tongue pushed against her mouth and she obliged, allowing him to explore the inner caverns of her mouth and to wrestle with her tongue. Eventually they unhappily pulled away for air and conversation.

A content silence fell over the two as they digested what had happened. Both were immensely happy and while they both wanted to say something, they couldn't think of the right words.

"Wanna head out and catch a movie?" Gwen smiled over as Kevin asked her the question she had always dreamed of him asking.

"I've been waiting long enough." Gwen said, nodding her head.

Kevin started the ignition of his brand-new car. The engine roared on and they began driving to the movies. They sat in silence, contemplating this change in their relationship.

"Why 62?"

The question caught Kevin off-guard (a rather rare thing) and he glanced at her. "What?" She pointed at the papers that had dropped to the floor when they had begun kissing.

"Oh…" Kevin smiled, amused. "62 is the grade I got on my last test."

--

**A/N: So I tried out going for a more humorous effect than I normally do… I'm not sure how well I did with that, so please review. And yes, I cheated. I couldn't think of 62 reaons, but since the theme is that, I had to write it… So I just had Gwen skim through them. That was mostly done to keep my sanity in place. I think I would've died if I had wrote anymore reasons. By the way, my next oneshot will most likely be about Ben (or one of his alien forms) or something about Kevin's past. Yes, I am obsessed with writing about Kevin's past, so sue me! **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	6. Creation

**Author's Notes: I feel terrible that I haven't updated for so long. There's no good excuse. I've been focused on writing another fanfiction right now, but I shouldn't stop updating this story just because of that. I'd like to thank Perhapsormaybe for motivating me to update. I'd probably still be inactive if it wasn't for you, seeing as I have ideas but I haven't typed them out. This chapter is dedicated to you for getting me to type this out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_Babies are always more trouble than you thought --- and more wonderful."_

~Charles Osgood

_**47. Creation **_

It was time.

I have no name. I'm not even my own creature. I am purely instinct that chose this moment to take command. Usually I am content to let the human being do whatever he desires with my Necrofriggian body. He's dubbed me Big Chill, a ridiculous name if you ask me.

Why have I seized command? I am not evil. I understand that I do not lead this body; he does. But he possesses no knowledge of nest-building or egg-laying. He would fail and the eggs would die. I cannot allow that to happen, so I will guide our shared body. And when all is done, I shall quietly retreat to wait for the next clutch of eggs.

Metal. It's what I need to build my nest. My eyes settle on the green machine that the human had saved a few moments ago. It would do.

Immediately I ran over and sank my teeth into the car. The glass window broke under the pressure of my hand. I swallowed a chunk of it. The metal had a bittersweet taste to it. Most of the time we Necrofriggians do not eat metal. However, hormones are released in our bodies when we're carrying eggs. These hormones make metal irresistible to all of us thus ensuring that none of us back down from swallowing it. After all, we need to make the species continues.

"Hey! What do you think you're—" The voice was angry and it was disturbing the peace I liked while ingesting metal.

I turned to face the two boys. A roar bellowed out from my chest. The two boys screamed in fear. They wisely chose to back away from me. I continued on with my meal. More metal, that was what I required. Spreading out my wings, I flew off to search for more metal.

--

The Omnitrix eventually timed out. I growled my frustration. How was I supposed to wait for the human to use the Omnitrix again?! My babies… My poor babies would have to wait for me. The day was spent with me anxiously awaiting a crime to occur. Nothing, absolutely no alien activity or even crazy cars to make the human touch his Omnitrix again. At this rate, my eggs shall perish.

When he finally did use the Omnitrix again, he chose the Aerophibian. This was definitely not what I had in mind. Quickly I seized control and grappled with the controls. A few seconds later, his body turned into the Necrofriggian. I was pleased with my handiwork.

Spreading out my wings, I took flight. A girl that the human was fond of muttered "Big Chill", but I ignored her. I had more important matters than dealing with the object of the boy's affection.

A building with a lot of metal (the smell attracted me, much like flowers attract bees) drew my attention. I landed in the front. Drawing from the human boy's intelligence, I was able to gather that I was in front of a food-serving station. They served meals on trays, metal trays to be exact.

Eagerly, I banged on the red button, creating an irritating buzz. Because I was a stranger to this planet, I was finding the boy's knowledge immensely satisfying. Apparently they brought the tray out if you hit the button and then you would hand over green paper. How queer. I had no green paper, but I didn't think that would be a problem.

A female soon came out. There was a burger and shake. Then there was also the tray on which all of this was nicely arranged on. She let out an earsplitting shriek at the sight of me. You would think that she had never seen a Necrofriggian before! Then again, we did tend to avoid interactions with others including members of our own race.

It didn't matter that she was terrified of me. What was important was the metal tray flying through the air. My mouth stretched wide-open and I quickly chewed it up. I was drawn back to the button. They wouldn't deliver me another tray, but the button was made of metal. I leaned over and gobbled it up.

My sights were next set on the poles supporting the overhang. There was a man with headphones on standing beside the pole. I walked over to him, ready to bully him if he didn't move.

"Scram." I hissed. It was standard procedure that a Necrofriggian start a fight by attempting to scare the opposition. I was ready to fight if necessary (it would have been an easy victory), but that was unnecessary as the human ran.

I began chewing on the support beams, but soon found that it was too tough to eat them this way. Stepping back, I let out an icy breath. The whole structure trembled for a few moments before collapsing. I quickly began to devour the entire pile of metal. Necrofriggians are quick eaters and I was soon nearly done with my meal of support columns.

The attractive scent of metal drew my head up. I abandoned the chunk of metal I held in favor of a large metal burger. The burger was gone in a few bites and I swallowed it. My eyes raised themselves to look at the head of the statue that had once held the burger. I attacked it head-on, my wings wrapping around my prey.

"More." I hissed before flying away.

Fortunately, there was no lack of metal in this human city. Humans seem to enjoy crafting metal objects and I cheered at how easily my nest could be built.

I stopped to eat a bus, a carwash sign, the carwash, and numerous other metal objects. I was beginning to fill up on metal. I would have to choose a nesting site today and then I would have to start my nest. With that in mind, I took flight and began flying through the streets.

I glanced down, noting the female from before was following me. This angered me. How dare she follow me! Doesn't she know that the location of my nest needs to be kept secret?! Perhaps she wishes to destroy my eggs.

Destroying her with an icy blast would easily have solved my problem. However, the human boy's conscience still had a small grip on me and would not allow me to do so. I had no wish to upset the human. Oh well, I figure that losing her should be easy enough since she lacks wings or the ability to go intangible.

"Big Chill! Ben! Wait up! I just want to talk to you." Her cries for me to wait were annoying me.

Swiftly, I turned a corner. Perfect. There was a brick wall ahead. I flew through the wall, only pausing to glance back at her.

"See ya."

Now that I've ditched the female, I can choose the location of my nest. It could not be near the city as it would attract too much attention. A human poking around my nest spot was the last thing I needed. After all, humans are curious creatures who always poke their noses into places they don't belong.

Finally I settled on a location far enough that no one would find it and close enough that it would be easy for me to fly over there. I set to work in establishing a huge crater. When that was finished, I regurgitated the metal I had eaten. Carefully I set to work in shaping it into a large nest.

I paused in my work. More metal was required if I wished to complete the nest. I turned around, eager to once again comb the city for metal. However, the Omnitrix chose that moment to time out. I retracted myself from the human's mind, hissing angrily. Oh well, I would simply have to wait for tomorrow night to finish my nest and lay my eggs.

--

The next day I allowed the human to do whatever he wanted to. Finally I had to take command and force him to turn into Big Chill. It was almost time for the eggs to hatch and I could not allow him to mess that up.

Since the time was close, I knew that a lot of metal would be required to finish up the nest and to ensure the proper laying of my eggs. I flew to a factory that spewed spoke into the air. There were bars of steel there, which I hastily began on devouring. It was a simple process of breaking them in half and then swallowing it. Mentally I thanked the humans for laying out all this metal for me to eat (even though I know that wasn't their intent). Footsteps came my way, but I ignored them.

"What is that thing?" A disgusted voice said.

Turning around, I noticed that there were three men. They looked threatening and even if they were no match for my Necrofriggian prowess, I didn't need any interferers.

"Stay out of my way." I hissed at them with the expectation that they would do exactly as I asked.

"That's not how it works, freak." The leader replied as he pulled out a gun. I glared at him, but it didn't intimidate him. "Come down here or there's going to be trouble." Ha! He was trying to arrest me! Me! Me who could easily make them into ice statues. It was time to show them who was dominant.

"I warned you."

Sucking in a large breath, I let out an icy stream. The leader and one of the others jumped out of the way. However, the remaining one was frozen halfway. His eyes sparkled in fear. The others had similar expressions of fear, much to my delight. Consider that a warning to them and their species.

I stepped down the stairs, completely intent on finishing these meddlesome humans off. The leader pointed a gun with trembling hands at my chest. His voice shook just as much as his hand.

"Stop! Don't make me—"

"Wait." The voice of the female got his attention. "He's a friend. Don't shoot."

She had followed me here! How dare her! I knew that she must be attempting to locate my nest.

I opened my wings and hissed at them. It was the customary pose of a Necrofriggian about to do battle. They must have known the gesture too, for they instantly began to fire their guns. I turned intangible, causing their lasers to fly right through me.

"Some people just don't listen." I said as I stepped towards them.

"Don't hurt them!" The female cried out.

"They won't feel a thing."

Their guns chose that moment to run out of bullets. It was the moment I had been waiting for. Eagerly, I seized it and let out a chilling rush of air. They turned to run, but my breath caught them and froze them. I left their heads free as I had no desire to kill them. I just wished to show them who was dominant. They yelped in fear.

With the fight over, I flew over to a large vat of molten metal. This was a haven for pregnant Necrofriggian everywhere. I tilted the pot, allowing the hot substance to flow into my throat. If only I had found this place earlier… I swallowed my last gulp (there was plenty left, but I was done) and flew out of the building.

Now to go to my nest and ensure the safe hatching of my children. The sounds of a revving engine disturbed these tranquil thoughts and made me glance down. It was the female again! Persistent little devil.

"Stay away!" I hissed angrily.

I really had hoped to prevent a fight with her (purely for the boy's sake). Because of it, I simply breathed on to her moped before turning my head forwards. The ice would surely halt her.

Flying ahead, I landed on the side of my crater. Molten metal gushed out of my throat. It flowed down. I watched in deep satisfaction it slowly filled up. Yes, my eggs would surely be safe in this nest. Green slime oozed from me as I laid the eggs. Once that was over, I calmly began to work on the metal to form a protective barrier around my eggs. The shape was similar to that of an ant hill.

"Ben!" A female (I believe the human's mind refers to her as cousin) cried.

The female from before added, "It's your friends. We can help you."

As if I need help! This is a solitary job. No Necrofriggian ever gets aid of any sort while tending their eggs and I wasn't about to be the first. It was more likely that they were here to disturb my eggs. There are some places where Necrofriggian eggs are considered a delicacy. I would not allow my eggs to be eaten.

"Go away." I hissed, standing up on top of my nest. My wings opened in a threatening pose.

The only male present slid down into my crater after the two females. Metal coated his body and he ran at me with a raised fist. I knew they were here to attack my precious eggs! I turned intangible just as he punched. As his fist came backwards, I grabbed his arm and tackled him down to the ground. Metal… Not bothering to control myself (after all, he was an intruder), I began to munch at his metal arm.

"Hey! Cut it out." He yelled at me, but I simply continued crunching.

Suddenly the metal turned into stone. I stopped chewing in disgust. What use do I have for stone? It tastes disgusting, and it doesn't make for a good nest. I backed away from him, spitting out the particles that had gotten into my mouth.

"Dude, I borrowed this suit." I noticed that the suit did in fact have a tear on it from where I had been chewing. It had been a nice meal. Too bad he had spoiled it by absorbing rock.

A pink beam fire at me though I was able to dodge by moving to the side. Then I noticed that it was heading towards my metal hill. No! How dare that girl! I flew in front of my nest and grabbed the energy claw before it could hit. Ice flew from my throat towards the girl who was eluding the energy. She shielded herself.

"We're here to help." The female who had previously followed me begged.

"I don't want any help." I hissed back. Why can't they just understand that?

I launched myself at the begging female. She was a threat and I no longer cared whether or not the human liked her. She needed to die for threatening my eggs! Just as I was about to grab her, energy surrounded me.

I gasped, pushing at the walls of my cage in a futile effort of freedom. "Let me out!"

The black-haired female ran by me. "Stay away from there." I hissed, but she continued running towards the nest. Oh how I would love to smite her right now.

I pressed myself against the energy, willing myself to flow through it. It took a while, but my instinct forbade me from surrendering. My body flew through the energy. I was free! I began flying rapidly towards the female. Pink disks flew at me. I dodged the first, but the second one hit me down from the sky. I collapsed in a pathetic heap.

I was a terrible parent. My eggs were going to die because of me. I had failed them by allowing these intruders to get the better of me. Why? I had ceased listening to their conversation, but I could see the male jump up on top of my nest. No was what I wanted to scream out, but I couldn't. I was just too weak.

His fist tore through the metal. Green fluid squirted up and coated his tuxedo. They were going to kill them. From my spot on the ground, I could see blue eggs floating up into the air. I should be up there with my eggs! Instead, my babies will hatch (or be destroyed before hatching) while the enemy is up there.

The blue eggs went through a swift metamorphosis. They became a small larva, which quickly grew wings. Then they became my babies, my full-fledged miniature Necrofriggians. I felt like crying as numerous fates (none of them good) flew through my mind. Perhaps they shall be cooked. Or perhaps simply eradicated like common pests.

To my surprise, none of that happened. The females cooed at the first baby. Beating wings drew closer. I sat up and watched as my offspring swirled around me. They were all okay. We stood like that for a while. I was a good parent, not a failure. My babies were perfect. The first that had hatched, a strong individual like me, flew off towards the heavens. The others followed.

Now only one remained. The little guy was the runt and he hovered uncertainly in front of me. It tugged at my heartstrings to see him. He could not remain here. It was the destiny of all Necrofriggians to spend time in the cold vortex of space as they grew. Some of them just required a bit of prodding.

"Go on." I cupped my hands under him. "Fly."

He let out a soft chirrup before flying off to join his siblings. They would fly together to find a meal for themselves. Once that meal was finished, each Necrofriggian would separate to start a solitary life. One day they may even go to our home planet, Kylmyys. I felt satisfaction that my babies would be fine. They were armed with an icy breath and everything had gone smoothly.

It was time for me to leave. I retracted back into the box in Big Chill's mind that I had come from. I would stay away from the human's mind until the next clutch of eggs required me to once again create a perfect nest for them.

---

**A/N: The reason this is "Creation" is because Big Chill was creating a nest and of course, the creation of the baby Necrofriggians xD I don't think I need to explain the theme anymore. To make sure this was as accurate as possible, I watched the episode as I typed. All the dialogue and action is borrowed from the show. The only parts that I made up are the thoughts of the Necrofriggian. This was a bit different to write, but it was enjoyable. For those of you don't know, an Aerophibian is what Jetray is. Until next time (which I promise will happen a lot in a week),**

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_ **


	7. Childhood

**Author's Notes: Remember how a long time ago I wrote a version of Kevin's past, but I said that there were other versions that I had created? I finally decided to write one of them. This one is probably the most likely to have actually happened from all the various versions I've created. The reason I'm doing this now is because I've heard the season 3 of Alien Force shall finally reveal Kevin's past. I just have to get this on to paper before that happens. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_Have you ever had that empty feeling inside like no one cares or loves you back, feeling as if you were to cry and no one would be there to wipe away your tears?"_

_~Anonymous_

_**48. Childhood**_

"Mommy, can you tell me a story?" A 5 year-old boy asked. The boy was already tucked into his bed. The only light in the darkened room came from a lamp, which illuminated his dark eyes.

"What would you like to hear?" His mother began to move from the edge of the bed towards the bookshelf.

She was remarkably similar to him. Just like the boy, her skin was pale and she had raven black hair. However, her eyes were a light blue whereas Kevin's eyes were dark.

"No." Kevin shook his head firmly. His mother sat back down. "I want to hear about my dad."

"Very well." His mother was used to these requests. While she did read him fairy-tales sometimes, she usually would tell him stories about the father who shared his genes. "What would you like to hear?"

Kevin pondered the question for a few moments before replying, "I want to hear about when he first met you." It was his favorite story and one that he had heard countless times before, but it never ceased to amaze him.

His mother smiled at him. It was a bittersweet smile. A day didn't go by when she didn't miss the man who had captured her heart. Seeing his eyes on Kevin's face was always warming.

"I had stayed out late that night due to work. I didn't have a car, so I began walking home. There was a shuffling sound in the alley. I continued walking because I was afraid that it was someone very bad."

"Like a robber?" Kevin interrupted the story. His eyes were already wide-open, attentive to every detail of the story.

"Yes. I felt a slimy tentacle touch my shoulder. Before I could scream, it had wrapped around my mouth. The tentacle belonged to a creature unlike any found on Earth. It had a human figure, but its mouth was a swarm of long tentacles. It had no eyes and when I looked closely at its fingers, I could see there were suckers there. Fortunately for me, there was a young, handsome man walking across the street."

Her eyes had glazed over, lost in her memories. Kevin didn't dare interrupt anymore. He liked these stories because they told about his heroic father and it made Kevin feel better about being fatherless. However, there was another reason that he liked these stories. His mother's voice would always become so passionate when she told the story. There was emotion there and the experience of listening to the story was an amazing one. Far better than anything Kevin had ever seen on TV or in a book.

"He saw me struggling against the creature. Instead of running away like I thought he would, he ran towards us. There was a large flash from his hands. The creature's grip on me lessened. Then the man kicked at the creature and tore me away from its grip. I stood back as he fought with the monster. Eventually the monster was defeated.

"Your father had a small cut on his arm. When he turned around, I got my first good look at my hero. His hair was dark brown and he had eyes exactly like yours. We stood watching each for a while before I offered him some first aid for helping me out. It took a while, but he accepted." She blinked, realizing that she had been drifting off. Her eyes focused on Kevin who was watching her with large eyes.

"Your father was a very brave man and he was strong. He fought evil in an organization called the Plumbers. I laughed when he first told me that he was a Plumber. I thought he meant the regular plumber job, but that wasn't what he meant and I learned it soon. I remember that he always carried around a green badge. He was a hero." She paused, lost in her reminiscing about the man she had loved.

"Why did he leave us?" Kevin's voice was trembling as he asked the question. Kevin had always been too afraid of the answer to bring up the question, but the story inspired him to say it. "Was it because of me?" It was the secret fear that had rested heavily on his heart for as long as he knew.

"You must never think that Kevin." His mother grasped his hand tightly in her own. She sighed sadly. "The reason he left was that he had to go and fight crime elsewhere in space." Kevin could feel her hand shaking in his.

He had left and he had never come back. Kevin couldn't remember what his father looked like or even if he had ever been around after his birth. His mother was the only parent in his life, but it wasn't bad. While Kevin wanted to meet his heroic father, he was content with just having his mother around.

"It's okay Mommy." Kevin patted her hand with his free hand. There was a small smile on his face as he looked up into his mother's face. "I'll be brave until Daddy comes home."

His mother gave him a weak smile. "Good night sweetie." She kissed him on the forehead and walked to his doorway.

"Good night, Mommy." Kevin breathed a sigh of happiness before curling deeper into his blankets. "Please come home Daddy. I want to see you." He whispered softly as his eyes closed.

"I love you, Kevin." His mother whispered back.

She had the same hopes as Kevin, but she couldn't help wondering whether the man she had loved was even alive anymore. He could be dead, killed by one of the monsters he fought. It was hard being a single parent and she often felt the need to reassure Kevin that he was loved. Perhaps a man in the picture would do some good. She shook her head and began to close the door.

Just as the door slid shut, she heard Kevin say,

"I love you too."

--

"Can't I stay up here in my room?" The 9 year-old boy pouted. His arms were crossed over his chest and he stared at his mother defiantly.

"Your father wants you to be downstairs for the party." His mother, Tanya, leaned over to adjust the bow-tie Kevin was wearing. He scowled at her, causing the woman to flinch away from him.

"He doesn't want me. And he isn't my real father anyway." Kevin turned away from his mother.

Tanya flinched. She hated being reminded of the man who had left and never come back. Putting on a small smile, she put a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Your father loves you a lot. He wants us to make an appearance together. As a family."

A few years ago, Tanya had remarried to a man named Royce Ordione. Royce was a successful businessman and he was hosting another party to celebrate yet another promotion. They were living in a spacious house in New York City. They were the perfect family, at least on the surface.

While Royce did love Tanya, he despised Kevin. The feeling was reciprocal. Kevin could not stand the man's demand that everything go the way he wanted it to. Royce could not stand Kevin's defiance. Kevin would never call this man 'father'. His real father was in space somewhere fighting villains and Kevin had kept his last name, Levin. It didn't matter that his real father might be dead. Royce would have preferred to get the woman without having the son, but things could not go that way. They dealt with each other. Arguments were common and they often had explosive effects.

A little after Royce had taken them to his house, strange things had begun to happen with Kevin. While arguing with Royce, he would cause a light bulb to explode. Or he would place his hands on an electrical outlet and energy would jump out from his fingers. It fascinated Kevin. Royce was revolted by this abnormal ability and it was a key factor in his hatred towards Kevin.

"He's not my father." Kevin wheeled around to stare at his mother. She looked away, unable to hold Kevin's smoldering gaze. "Can't I just stay up in my room and watch TV?"

"Sweetie," she sighed. "Guests are starting to arrive. They'll question why you aren't down there with your parents."

"Then Royce should tell them the truth. That he doesn't want me there." Kevin said simply, putting emphasis on his step-father's name.

"Don't be difficult, Kevin. It'll be fun. You can eat some good food and there may even be some other kids to talk to." Tanya reached over and took the boy's hand. He didn't resist until she started trying to drag him off.

With his heels stubbornly placed in the carpet, he replied, "I don't want to go. Royce doesn't want me to go. It'll be better without me!" He wrenched his hand away and ran over to one of the beanbag chairs in his room. The TV turned on.

Tanya walked over to the TV, turning it off. Kevin scowled at her and they began yet another staring match. Emerald eyes stared into obsidian eyes. The match ended when Kevin pressed the on button on the remote control he held.

"Kevin, stop acting like this!" Tanya raised her voice. She rarely raised her voice on anyone, but lately she had been doing it more and more on her son. Perhaps Royce had something to do with this change. "You are going to the party because_ I_ want you there. Don't you care what your mother wants anymore?"

Kevin watched the television numbly. Of course he cared what his mother wanted, but this wasn't a thing he could grant her. Despite his words, Kevin knew that Royce wanted him down there to show off his 'perfect family'. It was likely that Royce had convinced his mother to get him downstairs as he knew that Kevin would never do something if he himself asked. If Kevin was absent, the guests would create all sorts of rumors about why the son wasn't present to celebrate his father's promotion.

"Kevin, answer me when I speak to you!" Tanya screeched at him. She walked over and pulled the remote control out from Kevin's hands. The TV was flicked off.

"I don't want to go! All I want to do is stay here! I don't want to act like Royce's son." Kevin shouted. He was close to tears at this point. Why couldn't his father come home? Surely one annual visit would be okay in his Plumber business. And if he was dead, why hadn't anyone thought to notify his family?

"You'll go and you'll act like the son Royce expects you to be. You just have to give Royce a chance. He'll love it if you start calling him 'Dad'." Tanya reached over and grabbed Kevin's arm in a vice-like grip. "Let's go."

Kevin's skin crackled with electricity. The power scared him and he quickly closed his eyes. It was so close to breaking loose. What would happen if he fried his mother? A few tears trickled down his cheeks at the thought. Royce would do whatever he wanted if his mother ceased to be there. Slowly the power receded. His mother was safe from harm.

--

The party was held in the luxurious living room of Royce's house. All the regular furniture had been moved, so there was room to host the party. Banquet tables had been rented and set up. Aromas of a variety of foods mixed with the scented perfumes of the ladies attending. There was a sitting room where guests chattered. Another section of the room had been fenced off as the dance floor. Later in the night a disco ball would shine light down and music would play. For now, the lighting was based off some chandeliers. A makeshift stage was set up on one side of the room with a podium, ready for Royce's upcoming speech.

Kevin sat alone in a corner of the room with a plate of food by his side. He didn't want to talk with the other kids who were present. He had met them on previous parties and none of them made good friends. They didn't think highly of him either, so they avoided him. Adults also ignored Kevin unless it was to tell him how lucky he was to have such a successful father.

"Ahem." The sounds of a man clearing his throat silenced the chatty guests. They looked up in expectation at Royce, who had taken a place at the podium.

Royce was a handsome man. He had blonde hair that was stylized neatly. His blue eyes took in the crowd. While his figure could not be described as muscular, he had large shoulders that gave him a dominating presence. For the occasion, he was dressed in a suit.

"Greetings to all of you. I would like to start by thanking you for attending this party. It pleases me greatly to see how many of you turned up for my promotion party. I'd like to take this chance to drink to some very special people." Royce raised his glass of wine before resuming his speech,

"I'd first like to start by thanking all the people at the office. We're all friends here, so I hope you don't mind me calling you by your first names."

The crowd cheered. Kevin simply rolled his eyes. The words sounded false to him, the flattery of someone trying to weasel their way to the top. Royce began to go through a list of names, none of which Kevin took the time to memorize. At the end, the crowd chinked their glass with their neighbors and took a sip.

Royce cleared his throat once more. "I would next like to thank the president of our prestigious company, Mr. Pennyworth. Thank you for giving me this promotion and for allowing our company to thrive." Once again, there was the tinkling of bumping glasses and another sip to the old man.

"I would also like to thank my family. Without them to support me, I could never have gotten this far. Their love for me truly helped in the dark times and I'm forever grateful for them for being the light in my life. They gave the extra skip in my step that allowed me to work harder for them to ensure the best for them. I'd like to invite my wonderful wife Tanya and my dear son Kevin to the stage."

The crowd applauded so loudly that no one noticed the blanching Kevin. Love? Light in my life? _Dear son?_ What was this? This was the lies that supported a perfect family. He wanted to yell at everyone that this wasn't true. There was no love except the one between Tanya and Royce. There was no dear son. There was only Kevin, the defiant freak of a son that Royce had to handle.

Tanya had already come up to the stage. When Kevin didn't follow, she began searching the crowds for him. Royce found Kevin first. His eyes narrowed for a few seconds before he chuckled,

"My son seems to be a bit shy." The audience laughed. "Come on up, Kevin, my boy. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Kevin's blood began to boil. What right did Royce have to call him these endearing terms? None. What right did the audience have to laugh at something that was a lie? None. They were just sheep, following their new manager.

The power he had previously sealed up jumped out of Kevin. He couldn't handle this facade of happiness. He wanted to show them the truth. The electricity he had previously absorbed jumped out and struck a chandelier. It swung for a few moments before dropping. As the crash resounded through the room, the laughter was cut off. The people stared at the shattered glass, at the flames that were spreading from tipped-over candles. Another bolt of electricity flew towards Royce. Fortunately for the man he ducked. The electricity collided with a curtain sparking a larger fire. The sight caused a woman to scream and that was when all pandemonium broke loose.

Kevin could no longer control the power. It controlled him. All the energy he had chosen to hide now leaped out. It hit into the curtains, causing them to burn. It hit into tablecloths, igniting them quickly. The thing was that this power felt good. It made him feel powerful. The people were yelling because of something he had done. He wasn't at the bottom, picked at by those who sensed he was strange. He was the one with the power now and it felt delicious.

The energy hit a man. The man fell to the ground, screaming in agony as the electricity coursed through his system. No one stopped to help the man up. They were all jostling towards the door. Eventually only four people remained; the old man, Royce, Tanya, and Kevin.

Royce's expression was murderous. He glared at Kevin as he stalked towards the boy. Tanya pulled at her husband's arm, whispering for them to run out while they had the chance. He ignored her pleas. Instead he bent down and picked up an ashtray that had been turned over on the initial run to the door.

"You brat!" He snarled at Kevin. "You monster! I told you never, ever to use those damn powers."

"Oh really." Kevin laughed. "That's what you get for marrying my mother, for lying to everyone, for hating me just because I'm a freak. You don't deserve parties. This was coming to you for a long time now. Everyone knows the truth now."

"How dare you! You deserve to die in here!"

Royce flung the ashtray towards Kevin. It hit Kevin's face, causing the boy to stumble back a few feet. The blow made Kevin disoriented. His vision swam in front of him and he collapsed to the ground. Kevin blinked, trying to see through the jolting pain that now ruled over him.

Royce stared at his fallen son with a pitiless expression. Finally he turned away and grabbed Tanya by the arm. He dragged the woman away by the arm.

"Kevin! Kevin!" Tanya reached out her arms. Royce ignored her cries and pulled her out of the burning room.

So this was how life would end. He would die here, burned by the fires he had started. Kevin laughed softly. Everyone would know exactly just what Kevin Levin thought of his father. They could truly say now that they had seen the real family situation in the Ordione household. Kevin smirked before replacing it with a scowl.

Royce wanted him to die. Kevin's eyes hardened. He couldn't allow himself to die here, at Royce's hands. Maybe his mother could finally realize that Royce was a monster and she would divorce. Things could go back to the way they were before Royce ever assumed the position of head of the family.

Pushing himself up on to his knees, Kevin felt a wave of dizziness hit him. The pounding headache from the ashtray was made worse by the smoke that filled the room. Taking a few breathes to steady himself, Kevin began to crawl. School had drilled the proper instructions for fires into his mind. Smoke rose, so it was necessary to crawl.

The air was hazy and Kevin bumped into a still body. It was Mr. Pennyworth. Rather than clambering over the body, Kevin crawled around it. He avoided the empty gaze of the man. Had he done that? Kevin could recall hitting a man, but at the time, he had not recognized who it was or if he had actually died. A part of Kevin was revolted that he had actually killed the man, but another part of him was thrilled. He had power and he could use it on others.

As Kevin crawled, he came to an extraordinary decision. His power was not something that should be bottled up and hidden from the world. It was supposed to be used. Kevin could do whatever he wanted with this power. He didn't have to be afraid of anyone because no one could hurt him. There were no consequences for someone with powers like his. His smile widened.

Rather than going to the front door, Kevin had crawled out towards the door to the backyard. He slid the door open, letting out a stream of smoke. Sirens could be heard. They would be here soon. Quickly Kevin scampered across the grass, glancing back only as he slipped into the street.

The house was burning. Part of it had fallen in on itself. The orange flames stood out in the overall darkness of the scene. People stood in small groups, muttering their fears aloud to anyone who would listen. Some of the people were crying while others just stared in shock. They were all thinking the same thing; how could this happen? How could a promotion party turn into such a mess?

"You!" A snarling voice spoke to Kevin. Kevin's eyes flickered away from the burning building to stare at Royce. The man was furious. Tanya drifted behind her husband, her emerald eyes stretched wide in fear.

"I'm not going to die here." Kevin glared at the man.

"You're a freak who deserves nothing but death." Royce spat. Spittle flew from his mouth and hit Kevin.

"And you're a lying monster." Kevin wiped away the spit that had struck him in disgust.

"Can't we all just make up?" Tanya murmured softly.

"Silence." Royce commanded. Tanya dropped back, whimpering. He turned his attention back to his son. "I want you to leave. Now! Run far, far away and never come back."

Kevin stared at Royce in surprise. Being thrown out was the last thing he had ever expected to happen. Living on the streets seemed like a hard life. He looked over at his mother, hoping to find some sort of solidarity with her.

"Mommy…" He hadn't called her that for a long time. "Please." He begged. "I don't want to live on the streets. Please." He wanted her to choose his side. He was disappointed.

"Your father is right. This world isn't meant for people like you. It would have been better for you to die in the fire." Tanya spoke softly. Her eyes were on the ground, as if she was disgusted by the sight of him.

Kevin felt his hope crumble up and die. How could his mother say this? He had always suspected that she loved Royce more than she loved him, but this was the final proof. Didn't she love him anymore? Didn't she remember the days before Royce when everything had been great? Yes, funds were hard to come by, but they had been so happy. Now… Now her love was directed towards Royce and whatever love she had for him was overshadowed by her husband.

"Run away and never come back." Royce stepped towards his son. Kevin stepped away. There was nothing he could drain electricity from and he was out of juice. He was helpless to whatever Royce did to him. "Never show your face to me again."

"Please just go." Tanya begged, hoping to avoid any mess. "I don't want to see you anymore."

It was the last straw. With tears pricking at his eyes, Kevin spun around. He took off into the closest alleyway. As he ran, he heard Royce yell,

"If you ever show your face around here again, I'll kill you."

--

It was close to midnight now. Kevin had finally stopped running. He was now in the city park. Kevin walked over to one of the benches and sat down on it. The pain in his head had lessened. There would be a bruise later. His legs were tired from running, he was cold, his stomach was empty, and his spirit was beaten into the ground.

"Why didn't you ever come back?" Kevin looked up at the sky. There were no stars due to the fact that the city lights obscured them all. The moon was only a small slice and provided little light. "If you hadn't left, this wouldn't have happened. If you had come back, I wouldn't be outside right now."

Kevin swung his legs as he spoke. "My mom would still love me. Royce would never have married her. Everything would be okay. I would have fallen asleep by now. You could have told me stories about your adventures. You would never have called me a freak."

Kevin paused before continuing in a softer tone, "Is it because of me? Did you think I was a freak too? Mom told me that you were an alien." His head dropped a bit. "Did you think it was weird that I was part-alien and part-human? Is that why you left?"

The startling revelation that his father might not have come back, not because he was unable, but because he didn't want to, hit Kevin hard. His eyes narrowed as he stared up at the dark sky. If his father was a hero, why hadn't he ever come back and helped them? Had he died? Or was it simply because he hadn't cared to come back? Maybe he hated his son just as much as Royce hated him.

Kevin pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to keep warm. Heroes existed only in stories. In real life, everyone had their own motives. In the end, it all boiled down to one thing; yourself. It was the only person you could rely on and the only person you worked for. His mother had wanted to keep herself safe and in lavish surroundings, so she had sided with Royce. Royce had wanted money and a good reputation, so he had tossed out his son and built lies around his life. Now Kevin would have to work for himself. He wanted to live, have fun, and wield power. With his powers, he could do it.

Tears fell from his eyes and he laid down on the bench. They would regret ridiculing him. They would regret throwing him out. If the world really had no place for a freak like him, then he would carve his own place in this world. No one was there for him, but it no longer mattered. He was on his own side, he was Kevin Levin, and he was going to show everyone.

---

**A/N: This was great to write! I've just got one question for all your readers. Would you like to see another part for this? Originally I was planning to put it here, but I just couldn't write it well at the time. I took the part out and now I'm offering you all a choice. The next part would be Kevin's meeting with his mom to show her the Plumber's badge he received (after the episode with Darkstar). The other option would be for me to write down another one of the versions I've got on Kevin's past. I can do both, but I'd like to know which you would rather I do first. Reviews are appreciated. Please tell me what you think and whether I should do the next part. If anyone's got any requests, I'll take those as well. **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	8. Obsession

**Author's Notes: I know I updated earlier today, but this idea struck me and I had to write it down immediately. It's BenxJulie fluff, so if you don't like, don't read. There aren't that many stories about the two, so I'm happy to say that I got an idea with the two especially since I tend to have most of my ideas centered on Kevin or Gwevin. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_I think life's an irrational obsession."_

~Sean Penn

_**71. Obsession **_

"Hey Ben."

Ben looked over from the cashier he had just paid at his girlfriend Julie. His face broke into a friendly smile as he waved at her,

"Hey Julie. Do you want anything?"

She shook her head and stood, waiting while Ben received his smoothie. The couple then walked over to an open table before sitting down. Julie spread out their current math assignment. The two had arranged to meet here to study.

Ben sipped at his smoothie before shaking his head.

"What is it, Ben?"

"It's not it." Ben sighed. He sipped again at the smoothie. Seeing Julie's perplexed expression, he added, "I've been trying out all the flavors to find the very best smoothie. The lemon and watermelon smoothie is not the one."

"I'm sure you'll find it someday." Julie smiled sweetly at Ben. Some people might think a smoothie obsession would be a bit strange, but Julie actually found it cute. As long as it was practiced in moderation.

"I suppose you're right." Ben returned Julie's smile before drinking down the rest of his smoothie. "I'll be right back."

Julie watched as Ben dropped his empty cup into the garbage and proceeded in ordering another smoothie. She rolled her eyes. It was a wonder how the boy could drink down so many smoothies in one day. When he returned, Julie asked,

"What flavor did you get this time?"

"Chocolate and cranberry."

Julie's face blanched at the thought of what that combination would taste like. Most people stuck with the regular flavors on the menu, but Ben seemed to prefer always seeking out new combinations to try. The employees had gotten used to his behavior and were just glad that they had such a steady customer.

"How is it?" Julie asked after the boy took a sip.

"A lot better than you would expect, but definitely not the best." Ben drank some more of it before holding it out for Julie, "Want to give it a shot?"

Julie eyed the smoothie with light suspicion. Chocolate and cranberry was an interesting combination, but Ben had said that it was okay. Ben was notorious in having odd likings for smoothies, but it surely couldn't be that bad.

Reaching over she took the smoothie from him and took a sip. The taste was peculiar. It wasn't necessarily bad, but she couldn't say that it was very good either. It was painfully sweet, but it was definitely better than others Ben had ordered before.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be." Julie finally said with a nod.

As she drank down the remaining smoothie (it was nearly done anyway), she watched Ben trot off to get yet another smoothie. This time he came back with one that he claimed to have a mixture of kiwi, broccoli, and banana.

A few hours of studying intermixed with Ben's smoothie tests passed. Julie found herself worrying over Ben. Surely drinking this many smoothies was unhealthy for anyone even a hero.

"Ben, don't you think you should stop now?" Julie asked.

Ben shook his head. "I can't stop until I've found the best flavor."

"Won't you have to try them all to find it? That's going to take a long time and by then, I'm sure you'll never want to look at another smoothie again."

Ben looked aghast at the very idea of being sick of his addiction. He glanced down at the smoothie he held, a blend of limes and coconuts.

"I don't think I'll get sick of them." He set the cup down and looked up into Julie's chocolate eyes. "I just can't explain it, but I know that I'll be able to tell the best flavor when I taste it. I just have to find the right one."

Julie sighed. This was impossible. An idea dawned on her and she smiled at him, "Come on, we're going to my house to study."

"Fine…" Ben stood up and threw his empty cup away. "Just let me get another smoothie."

--

After a brief walk later (Kevin's chauffeur services were unavailable as the boy was currently out with Gwen), they reached Julie's house. Ben sat down in her living room, gulping down the remains of his smoothie. Julie had gone off to the kitchen.

Ben pondered the reason Julie had retreated to the kitchen. After her concern for him having drunk a few too many smoothies, he doubted she would want to fix them up a snack. He leaned into the sofa with a sigh. No smoothie had come close to being the right one and now he was deprived of his smoothie source. How was he ever going to find the best smoothie in the world at this rate?

The sounds of a blender whirring drew Ben's attention away from his thoughts towards the kitchen. What was Julie doing? Standing up the boy walked over to the kitchen and poked his head in. Julie had her back to him. She was standing in front of a blender that Ben could clearly hear, but couldn't see.

"Hey," Ben greeted as he walked into the room.

Julie jumped at the sound of his voice and turned around. "Oh Ben, I thought you were going to wait for me in the living room."

"I was, but I heard the blender and I got curious." He tried to peer around Julie to look at the blender, only to have his way blocked by the girl.

"Not until it's done. Now go back to the living room."

"But-"

"Now."

Ben sighed and did as she asked. He slumped down into the sofa, sulking. What had she been brewing up in that blender? The answer could be a wide variety of things. It could be a shake, a puree, maybe even a smoothie! It could be something absolutely terrible meant to improve his health, or it could be a smoothie to taunt him. Julie wouldn't do that, would she?

"Here you go, Ben."

A large glass full of a bright red substance was handed over to Ben. He looked from the smoothie up into Julie's smiling face. So she had been making a smoothie. Gratitude flew over him.

"Thanks."

"No problem Ben. How is it?" Julie sat down on Ben's side.

She watched eagerly as he took a sip. This sip was followed by another and then another. Soon the whole smoothie had disappeared down Ben's throat. The boy still hadn't said anything. He wore a large, goofy grin on his face.

"That. Was. The. Best. Smoothie. Ever." Each word was emphasized as Ben bent over and gave his girlfriend a peck on the cheek.

---

**A/N: I hope that turned out okay. I haven't really written Julie before other than in the Big Chill oneshot. How'd I do? If there are any suggestions on how to keep her better in character (if I did a good job, then it would be nice to hear so) or how to make sure their coupling is in-character (I think I did a good job on that), then I would love to hear it. As always, reviews are appreciated. **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_ **


	9. Family

**Author's Notes: I apologize for the long wait on this. I started this a few days ago because I had the whole thing planned out. However, the words wouldn't flow. I couldn't communicate my ideas and every time I tried to write, I ended up having a staring match with a blank screen. When the words did come, there was something off about them. I'm still not entirely certain of this, but there are parts that I like. After I finally got it to be acceptable, had bugs that didn't allow me to post. I would've uploaded it this morning, but I was busy all day until now. Well, at least you finally get it!**

**This is just a random idea that came to mind. Because I didn't want to make an OC child for Gwen and Kevin, I just have Devlin there. Gwen's his biological mother in this timeline. While I kept his appearance the same for the most part, I did change his eye color to give him some physical characteristic that comes from Gwen. However, his hair and skin are still the same. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad."_

_~Unknown_

_**46. Family **_

"Are you sure you handle this? You've never stayed home alone with Devlin before." Gwen looked closely at her husband.

Her concern didn't stem from worry about whether or not Kevin would make a good parent. She knew that he was nervous around Devlin. After having a terrible step-father while growing up, he always wanted to try to be the best father possible. This sudden reassurance that he could take care of Devlin for a few hours so she could have the day to do whatever she wanted was sudden and startling.

"It'll be easy. After all, he's only a 4 year-old. How hard can he be?"

It had been a long time since Kevin had watched Devlin alone (usually Gwen or Ben was there). The last time had been back when Devlin could barely talk. Truthfully, as the kid grew, Kevin had mixed feelings about this parenthood stuff. What if he messed up? What if he turned into a terrible father? What if he forgot that Devlin was allergic to strawberries and gave the kid a strawberry smoothie? His life had been full of what-ifs as Devlin matured and that was why Gwen had not had a free day in a long time.

Finally Kevin had pushed those feelings away and decided that he needed to give Gwen a break. If something bad happened while he was watching Devlin alone, then something bad happened. If everything went well, then Gwen could get out more and Kevin would feel self-satisfaction.

"Okay, but if you need anything call me." Kevin nodded his head and waved to her as she walked towards the door. "Have him in bed by 8." A few seconds later, Gwen turned around and added, "Don't give him sweets before bed and if he's having trouble falling asleep…"

"Read him a story. Yeah, yeah, I know all that." Kevin rolled his eyes. "You can go now." He gestured at the half-open door that Gwen had paused at.

She smiled at him before replying, "Have a good time with him."

"I will." Kevin smiled though his smile was less sure than Gwen's. "Bye." The door shut with a click.

Small footsteps crept up on Kevin. He turned around and saw his 4 year-old son standing there. He resembled Kevin in almost every way except for his eyes. They were a bright green, similar to Gwen's.

"Is Mommy going to be gone all-day?" Devlin asked, looking up at his dad.

Kevin nodded his head. "Yeah, it's just me and you today." The words sounded rather odd to him. When was the last time he had said something like that to his son? Had he even ever said that to his son?

"Okay Daddy." Devlin smiled. "Can we go the park?"

"Why not?" Kevin said with a shrug. The park was a safe place to take kids, wasn't it? Kevin was fairly sure it was as long as the kid remained smart enough to not take stuff from strangers. Gwen had drilled the lesson into Devlin's head before and it wouldn't be hard to beat up anyone who tried anything suspicious towards his son.

"Yay!" Devlin cheered. He sat down and looked expectantly up at Kevin. Kevin blinked at him, wondering what the kid was doing. Devlin giggled at his father's puzzled expression before pointing at his shoes. "Can you help me tie them?"

"Oh sure." Mentally Kevin scolded himself on not realizing that Devlin was still a kid who needed help tying his shoes. He leaned down and quickly laced up Devlin's sneakers.

Devlin watched in awe as his 'Daddy' tied his shoes. When adults did it, it looked so simple. However, Devlin had learned that it was not as easy as they made it look. He had tried to tie his shoes a few times and all of his attempts had ended in pathetic failures.

"Can you teach me how to tie my shoes, Daddy?" Devlin looked up, his emerald eyes shining hopefully.

"Well…" Kevin paused, wondering how to explain such a fundamental lesson. Sitting down, he untied one of Devlin's shoes. "Okay, so you take these two laces and you put them in an X. Then you put one around like this and pull. Make two loops and tie those two together like this. And you've got a perfectly tied shoe." In slow-motion, Kevin demonstrated each step of the art known as shoe-tying.

"I want to try." Devlin tugged at his laces a few times to untie them. Instantly he began to slowly repeat the steps of shoe-tying. The loops of his tied sneakers were huge and it looked rather ridiculous, but Devlin was pleased nonetheless. He smiled widely. "Thanks Daddy."

"No problem. If you need any more lessons, just come to me. I know just about everything you need to know to get through life." Kevin patted Devlin's head before standing up. "Let's get going to the park."

Devlin nodded his head and ran out the door. Kevin walked after him and the two proceeded to Bellwood's park. The park consisted of a playground, trails for joggers or bikers, and a large open field. A few families were picnicking and there was some kids playing soccer.

Devlin's attention was on the large play structure. There was a slide, swings, a jungle gym, monkey bars, lots of sand; everything a kid could ever want to have hours of fun. He ran off towards the swings first. Kevin got ready to slump down on to a bench when Devlin's voice stopped him.

"Daddy! Daddy! Can you push me?" Devlin sat on a swing, his legs swinging wildly as he tried to get his swing to move.

Kevin sighed and walked up behind Devlin. "I'm only going to push for a little while. Then you'll have to do the work yourself, okay?" Devlin agreed with his decision.

Kevin began to push the boy. Squeals of joy came from Devlin as he rose higher and higher. It was stunning how such a simple invention could keep a kid so entertained. Eventually Kevin stopped pushing and stood back to watch Devlin swing back and forth.

"Daddy! Do you want to swing? We can see which one of us can get higher." Devlin had turned his head around to observe his father. "Please." He added as if the simple word could reinforce his request.

Kevin sighed. He couldn't refuse Devlin's innocent request. "Fine."

He sat down in the swing. It was actually a lot more comfortable than he had assumed it would be. Kicking forwards Kevin began to swing for the first time in many years. Back before he had married Gwen when the two had been going out, she had convinced him to swing on the swings with her. But that had been in the evening in a mostly deserted park.

This time he was out in the broad daylight. He, Kevin Levin, was swinging! When he thought about it, the notion was ridiculous. It was laughable. In fact, if anyone who knew Kevin well happened to come by, Kevin didn't know what he would do. All he knew was that the person would burst out laughing.

"You can do better than that, Daddy!" Devlin's encouraging voice brought Kevin out of his thoughts.

Kevin glanced at Devlin, who was swinging high and then at himself. The swing was barely rocking back and forth. His son watched him with a pleading expression, causing Kevin to sigh. Did Gwen ever get pulled into swinging against her will? Somehow Kevin had never asked her. Then again, he had always assumed that when she went to the park with Devlin, she sat there on a bench while Devlin had his fun.

"You sure you want me to go higher than you?" Kevin teased his son as he began to swing his legs back and forth. His swing rose higher.

"No one can go higher than me." Devlin laughed cheerfully, ecstatic that his dad was finally starting to take swinging a little more seriously.

"I'll show you."

Kevin continued rising with each back and forth motion of his legs. The wind blowing in his face felt pleasant. It made him feel free from life. Adrenaline and thrill filled his body. No wonder kids liked it so much. Kevin had forgotten how much fun swinging can be. He was now at the same level as Devlin and the two swung in tandem.

"Jump!" Devlin shouted before letting go of his swing. The boy flew a few feet before slamming down into the sand. He turned around eagerly to look at his father. "Come on Daddy!"

Kevin sighed and let go. He flew a few feet before landing. Clapping drew his attention away from his cheerful son towards the single audience member.

"So this is how you spend your weekends?" Ben smiled.

Devlin turned around and grinned at Ben. "Daddy's a great swinger." He said proudly before running off to climb up the jungle gym.

Kevin watched him go before turning to a chuckling Ben. He scowled and growled, "Shut it Tennyson."

"We're back to a last name basis?!" Ben stopped chuckling before adding, "If it helps, I think it's nice of you to play with your son."

"Yeah, yeah." Kevin waved his hand dismissively. He was still embarrassed that Ben had seen him playing around like that. Kevin didn't like it when people thought he was going soft. At least it wasn't Manny. Manny would never have allowed Kevin to forget it.

"I guess Gwen's having the day off. Did she tell you to do this?" Ben asked, motioning Kevin to join him at the bench.

"I let her have the day off." Kevin shrugged casually.

Ben stared in amazement at Kevin before nodding his head in acceptance, "Well, it's about time you spent some father-son bonding time with Devlin."

"I suppose." Kevin paused for a few moments before adding, "Don't you have something better to do, or are you just here to bug me?"

"Okay, okay, I can take the hint. I'll leave, so you can get back to playing around." Ben stood up and waved his hand. "Bye Kevin." In a gleeful voice, he added, "I can't wait to tell the guys at work about this."

Kevin was about to run off after Ben to make sure he kept his mouth shut, but then he recalled that he had to watch Devlin. "I'll get you if you tell." He shouted at Ben's retreating back before leaning back to watch Devlin play.

Many hours later, Devlin was on the monkey bars and Kevin was bored. There was a woman sitting nearby him with a book in her hands. Kevin sighed, wishing he had brought something to entertain himself with. Not a book like the woman, but something that was actually interesting like a small piece of alien tech to mess around with. He had never realized just how long a kid could spend at the park.

A familiar yell came from the direction of the monkey bars followed by sobs. The woman glanced up from her book, noticed that it wasn't her kid, and averted her eyes back to the book. Kevin, on the other hand, took one glance and instantly ran over to Devlin's side.

"What happened Devlin?" Kevin kneeled by his son, thinking, _who puts concrete under monkey bars? _as he did so.

"I-I-I sl-sliped." Devlin's words slurred as he spoke in-between his sobs.

Kevin was close to panicking at this point. _Why didn't I bring a damn first-aid kit along? Gwen would've brought it with her._ However, he kept all that panic inside. Being calm was the first step in emergencies, wasn't it? Sure, Kevin always fell asleep or ditched those emergency drills, but it was a well-known tenet of any emergency.

"Where does it hurt?" Kevin asked.

Devlin held out his hands. He had been on the monkey bars and had tried swinging over to the next bar. He had slipped and fallen on to his knees and the palms of his hands. Now the skin of his palms was darkened with dirt and the beginnings of bruises. His knees were in far worse condition. They were definitely going to sport similar large bruises by the next day. Some blood trickled down from where the skin had broken.

"I've seen worse." Kevin remarked in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "Come on, we'll go home and fix you up."

"Okay." Devlin stood up after his father, his legs shaking beneath him.

Kevin sighed. It would take a long time to get home if Devlin walked. In fact, from the way he was looking right now, it was likely that Devlin would be shambling along to avoid as much pain as possible while getting home.

"We're going to have to go a lot faster than that." Kevin scooped up Devlin in his arms and began walking.

The journey home was a swift one and when they got there, Kevin instantly set Devlin down on the couch.

"Thank you Daddy." Devlin murmured, leaning back on the couch.

"No problem."

Kevin left the room to fetch the first-aid kit. While he wasn't an expert on healing, he had gotten familiar with the methods due to various injuries sustained over the years of crime-fighting. Gwen had thought him enough, so that he knew how to patch up the simple wounds.

"This is going to hurt, but it'll make you feel better later, got it?" Kevin pulled out some ointment and began applying it to Devlin's hands and knees. The boy squirmed and let out muffled pleas to stop, but he didn't try to run off. Kevin considered it a victory.

"I didn't know you knew first-aid Daddy." Devlin commented after Kevin had finished patching the boy up.

"I know everything important in life, remember?" Kevin replied with a small smirk.

"Really?" Devlin's eyes got large as he thought about what everything important implied. It was true that his father knew how to tie shoes. He even knew how to swing well!

Kevin nodded his head at his son before adding, "And if I don't something, your mother does."

Devlin considered this before asking, "Like cooking?" He had never seen his father cook and he wasn't even sure if he could.

"I know how to cook the essentials, but your mother's a much better cook." Kevin stood up and began walking towards the kitchen. "Speaking of food, she left us some for dinner."

"Food!" Devlin dashed past Kevin and pulled himself up on to his chair. He smiled eagerly at his father. "Can we eat now?"

Kevin glanced at the clock. It was 6:00 already. Time had gone by fairly quickly today.

"Now is good."

After a heated dinner of spaghetti and meatloaf, they watched some TV together. Soon it was 7:30 and time for Devlin to get to bed.

"Bedtime." Kevin announced as the show they had been watching ended.

"Can't I stay up later?" Devlin whined. He wanted to hang out more with his father. It had been a fun day and he wasn't ready to end it yet.

"If you go now, I'll tell you a story." Kevin promised, recalling what Gwen had told him about Devlin's love for stories.

Devlin nodded his head and ran off to brush his teeth. Kevin followed after him and waited as the boy quickly brushed his teeth. As he finished, Devlin changed into his pajamas and crawled into his bed. Kevin pulled the covers over him and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Okay, what do you want to hear?"

"Something that actually happened." Devlin smiled excitedly.

"Okay…" Kevin went over past experiences. He wouldn't tell Devlin about the time when he was a mishmash of alien parts. It wasn't the type of story one wanted to tell his kid. Perhaps a story from the first year he had joined up with Ben and Gwen? Perhaps something with the DNAliens (he hadn't talked about them in a long time)? It couldn't be something too scary or Devlin might have nightmares. Another idea dawned on him. It was perfect length for storytelling.

"How about I tell you about the time Ben, your mother, and me had to fight a dragon for the Forever Knights?" Devlin nodded his head eagerly.

Kevin began the story describing their initial recruitment by their former enemies, their discovery that the dragon was an intelligent mapmaker, and then their final struggle against the Forever Knights while Ben convinced the dragon to leave peacefully. Devlin listened quietly with large eyes. Finally the story finished.

"Can I have another story?" Devlin asked hopefully.

"Maybe another night. If I don't get you to bed now, your mother will kill me." Kevin stood up.

"Okay." Devlin curled up into the blankets and smiled at his dad. "I had a lot of fun today. Can you look after me more?"

"Of course." Kevin nodded his head. He had enjoyed the day just as much as Devlin. Sure, a kid could be tiring at times, but he was a joy nonetheless. "Good night, Devlin."

"Good night Daddy."

Kevin switched the lights off and walked downstairs. Deciding that he would wait for Gwen, he threw himself on the sofa and began flicking through the channels for something interesting to watch. An hour later, the clicking of the door drew Kevin's attention.

"Hey. Did you have a good day?" Kevin asked Gwen as she came into the living room.

"Wonderful." Gwen smiled, turning her head to observe the scene. From the looks of things, Devlin was already in bed and nothing chaotic had happened. "You?"

"It turned out better than I thought it would. I think I should do this more often."

"You don't know how relieved that makes me."

"What? You thought I would make a terrible father?" Kevin feinted hurt. He shook his head. "You know you should really have more confidence in me."

"It's not that." Gwen sat down beside Kevin, allowing him to take her into his arms. "I just wasn't sure if you would want to take care of him after you saw how much work it could be."

Kevin smirked. "Well I proved you wrong."

Gwen nodded her head. They lapsed into silence before she spoke again, "I heard that you swung with Devlin on the swings."

"Ben." Kevin hissed under his breath before saying more loudly, "And did he tell anyone else?"

"He said he would keep it a secret. Just wanted to inform the mother of the child. I think it's sweet of you to do that."

"…I suppose it is. After all, Devlin needs to know that I'm the best father he could have."

"I didn't mean it like that, but if that's what you want to believe, go ahead."

"It's a fact. Go and ask Devlin about it tomorrow."

---

**A/N: Eh… I'm not so sure about this oneshot. There are parts I like and parts I don't like that much. I'm hoping that I didn't mess up the characterization of any of the characters. Since they're older, they would be more mature but I still tried to capture some of their personality from Alien Force. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated. Meanwhile, I'm going to go and reward myself with chocolate for finally finishing this. **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_ **


	10. Seeking Solace

**Author's Notes: Before I start, thank you for the reviews. I haven't had any inspiring ideas to write for a while, but this one hit me last night. Since I don't want to spoil the story, I'll place the inspiration at the end. This chapter is dedicated to Mini, the fire-bellied toad and all the other beloved pets that have died throughout our lives (whether they are dogs, birds, or hamsters). **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_Grief is so painfully real, regardless of its origin. The love of, and attachment to, an animal friend can equal that of human relationships. Likewise, the loss of an animal can be just as devastating." _

~Rev. Joel L. Morgan

_**5. Seeking Solace**_

Tears cascaded down Ben's cheeks as he sat heavily on his bed. The normally cheery 12 year-old was down in the dumps. In his hands, he clutched a worn photo of a younger Ben and a German Shepherd. They were both so happy there, sitting and laughing (well in Ben's case, the dog merely was panting after a good run). Why couldn't things be like that now?

More tears threatened to spill down as he stared at the panting dog. Everything had started as a regular day, but it had quickly turned disastrous. A tear fell from his cheek, staining the photo.

A knock on the door caused the distraught boy to gasp. Quickly he wiped away the tears with one hand while stuffing the photo underneath his pillow with the other. There was no way that he could show anyone the grief that ate at him.

"Who is it?" He called, his voice croaking a bit.

"It's Gwen."

Ben's eyes narrowed slightly. While his relationship with his cousin had improved a lot ever since the fateful road trip, he did not want her to see him crying. She would say something insulting towards him and it would ignite an argument between the pair. Right now, fighting was the last thing Ben wanted to do. All he wanted to do was curl up and cry himself asleep.

"Go away." He shouted at the door, hoping that she would listen to him for once. As to be expected, she ignored his request.

"I'm not leaving, Ben."

The knob of his door turned and mentally Ben chided himself on having forgotten to lock it. The door opened, revealing Gwen. Her eyes shone with concern as she took in Ben's puffy, red eyes and his wrinkled clothing.

"I told you to leave." Ben turned away, crossing his arms in a grumpy fashion.

Gwen's eyes narrowed before she remembered that she was here to help, not to pick a fight with him. She walked up to Ben and sat down by his side. Ben responded by edging further from her.

"Ben, I came here to tell you I'm sorry that he died."

"You don't need to be sorry." Ben shook his head. He looked down at his hands, still refusing to turn to his cousin. "It wasn't your fault." His voice sounded awfully numb.

Recognizing the tone of his voice, Gwen retorted, "It's not your fault either."

Ben turned to face her, emerald eyes burning furiously. "Yes it is!" He shouted angrily. Catching the sadness in Gwen's face, his anger deflated quickly.

"Explain." It was a command, simple and to the point.

"I let him off his leash and he ran out into the street. A car h-h-hit him." Ben stuttered as a sob escaped his chest. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. "If I hadn't let him off his leash, he wouldn't have run out into the street. He wouldn't be dead. It's my fault, all my fault." More sobs escaped his throat. Ben had ceased caring about the ridicule that could be pushed on to him by Gwen if she saw him cry. All he could do was cry for his lost dog.

"Stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!"

"You can't control where he runs, so it's not your fault that he happened to run into the street at the same time a car was going past."

"Yes it was!"

"It wasn't your fault!"

"Yes it was!"

"Not your fault!"

"Yes it was!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

Slap! Ben's cheek throbbed from where Gwen had slapped him. He stared in wonder at her. A small smirk lit up Gwen's face.

"That's better. Now listen quietly." He nodded his head, one hand massaging the reddened skin of his cheek. "It isn't your fault. You didn't know that he would run into the street and you didn't know that a car would smash into him. Sure, you shouldn't have let him off the leash in the first place, but what's done is done."

"But if I hadn't done it, then he would still be alive." Ben stared mournfully down at the ground. More tears slipped from his eyes to hit the ground. "Why?" The sob escaped his throat, causing him to begin weeping once more.

Gwen sighed. She couldn't leave Ben sobbing like this. On impulse, she leaned over and pulled the boy into a hug. He stiffened at her touch, tears momentarily frozen, before leaning into her to cry everything out on her shoulder. They sat like that for a few moments before Ben pulled away, eyes to the ground.

Gwen sighed in exasperation. It appeared as if he was still blaming himself about it. She took a deep breath to hold herself back from yelling at the boy before speaking. "Ben, look at me." Her voice was surprisingly calm compared to her earlier rage. Ben glanced over at her with a forlorn expression.

"Everything dies eventually. We can't stop that. Pets die too. It's just the way life works. Now there are three options; you can either deal with the pain when each pet dies, you can wither away in grief at the first death, or you can avoid having a pet to avoid it altogether. Since option three isn't available to you anymore, what are you going to do about it?"

"Tortoise."

"What?!" Here she was, trying to comfort Ben and he says something so random. She should've known better than to come and offer him solace.

"There's a fourth option. You can get a giant tortoise. They live for a long time."

Gwen's face cracked into a smile. From Ben's tone, she could see that he was simply joking, which was definitely a sign that he was improving slightly.

"True. You'll probably die before the tortoise. Then the tortoise will have to deal with the grief."

They sat in silence for a while, Ben digesting Gwen's words on death and Gwen wondering how Ben was taking it. Finally Ben turned his eyes away from his shaking hands to look at Gwen.

"Thanks." The simple sincerity of the statement was uncommon and pleased Gwen greatly to hear that her talk had helped.

"Anytime." Gwen smiled at him. She stood up and began walking towards the door. She paused to look back at him, noting that he had stopped crying. "You know you can cry if you want. You don't have to act all macho."

Ben shook his head. "I'm feeling better. I think the tears are done. I love him and I always will, but I don't need to drown in the misery." He paused before adding in a shy voice, "You're not that bad at comforting people."

Gwen acknowledged the compliment with a nod of her head before asking, "You'll be okay on your own?"

"Yeah." Ben nodded his head. As Gwen began to close the door, he shouted after her, "Just don't tell anyone I was crying."

She rolled her eyes, but promised him, "My lips are sealed."

---

**A/N: Originally I had a different thing planned for this theme, but I couldn't resist typing this up. When I was skimming through the themes to find which one would fit, I couldn't help but use this theme. Even if Ben wasn't openly seeking solace, he did want it and he got it in the form of his cousin. In the end, he was glad he did. **

**The inspiration for this comes from the death of my beloved fire-bellied toad. I know it's hard to get close to an amphibian since you can't exactly play with them, but I loved him… He died last night. While I didn't cry on the outside (sometimes I just can't display my emotions so well), I was weeping on the inside. And of course, my little sister was crying. My parents talked to her about the inevitability of death, similar to what Gwen told Ben. Of course, my little sister wasn't blaming herself, but they did end up telling her that death was the way life worked. My dad, being the type of person he is, added in a joking way that getting a tortoise is one way to avoid having to deal with the death of a pet. ****So I took those elements and put them in this story. I feel a lot better now that I've written this. Writing helps a lot when it comes to dealing with reality.**

**One last note is that Ben definitely has a dog. He was in Good-bye and Good Riddance... Since I couldn't find the episodes online, I was unable to find out the dog's name, which is why I ended up not mentioning the name anywhere in this chapter. I didn't want any contradictions. I'm also certain that the German Shepherd he had never appeared in any Alien Force episodes (if this is wrong, please tell me), so it's possible that he died. Reviews are appreciated as always.**

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	11. Heal

**Author's Notes: After watching both Vengeance of Vilgax and Inferno, I've felt the desire to sit down and write. Vengeance of Vilgax was a great episode and I liked Inferno as well. This takes place between the two episodes and it's Gwevin (what a surprise). Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

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"_It's not the face that makes someone a monster; it's the choices they make."_

~Anonymous

_**83. Heal **_

Kevin drove the car in stony silence. His mouth was curved upside down into a frown, a frown that deepened every time he glanced at his reflection. If it hadn't been his precious car, he would've smashed every reflective surface so he wouldn't have to face the hideous face that looked back at him. It barely mattered that his powers had improved, given the fact that they came along with this body.

"Kevin." Gwen called his name softly. She was sitting in the passenger seat of his car and had been watching him with concern for a few minutes now.

His hands tightened around the wheel. He didn't look in her direction.

After a few moments of silence, Gwen spoke again. "Kevin, are you still worrying about how you look?"

It was incredible how she could read him like a book sometimes. Then again, he wasn't doing much to hide his displeasure of his transformation. It might not be quite as bad as his previous form, at least this one lacked extra appendages, but it certainly didn't look human.

"I'm fine." Kevin lied.

"Kevin…" Gwen stressed out his name, making the boy shift uncomfortably at the reproachful tone in her voice. "Tell the truth."

The car came to a sudden brake, jerking Gwen forwards in her seat. She blinked in surprise as Kevin turned his body to look at her. His eyes were narrowed, but it appeared that he was glaring more at himself than at her.

"How do you think I feel now that I'm a monster?!" He shouted angrily. "Ever since I turned back, I swore to myself that I would do everything I could to keep from becoming a monster. And now, I end up turning into this! I'm a hideous monster!"

With that bout of anger out of the way, Kevin seemed to deflate. When he spoke again, his voice was trembling and he was staring at his hands. "I had friends, life was good." He seemed to have forgotten that Gwen was there. "Then I'm turned into this monster, this freak. There's nothing I can do about it."

Gwen reached out a hand to cradle Kevin's cheek. He flinched, but didn't move away from her touch. "You're not a monster, Kevin."

Kevin lifted his eyes to stare at her. "How can you say that when you're looking at me?"

Gwen stared back. "It's who you are on the inside that counts, not your appearance. You may not look human right now, but you're still the same Kevin that you were yesterday. We'll find a way to get you back to normal, but until we do, I don't want you saying you're monster. Because you're most definitely not a monster." With a light smile, she added, "A monster wouldn't have saved me from Spidermonkey."

Kevin watched her quietly for a few moments before asking, "What if this is permanent? What if I remain a monster forever?"

It had been a secret fear of his for a very long time. The first time he had started thinking about his monstrous form back when he was 11, he had been scared that he would never revert back to his regular self. When he had, he had been overjoyed. And now, he was a monster once more. What if this time his body refused to change back? What if was stuck like this forever? He wouldn't be able to live a normal life like this.

"You won't." Gwen said firmly. "I'll do everything I can to find some way to turn you back. Maybe all it needs is a bit of time and it'll wear off." Her voice was hopeful and it made the boy feel slightly better.

"Maybe." He muttered back though he wasn't entirely convinced. Maybe time was all it would take, maybe they would need to find some other method, and maybe he would be stuck like this forever. The future was uncertain.

"Just keep hoping. Everything will get better eventually and until it does, I'm always open if you need to talk. You don't need to coop everything up inside of yourself."

Kevin was silent for a few moments and Gwen was afraid that he would reject the offer, but instead he nodded his head. "Thanks Gwen."

He pressed his foot down on the pedal and the car began to accelerate. They drove the rest of the way to Gwen's house in a comfortable silence. As Gwen got ready to get out, she turned back to the raven-haired boy.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I think I'll be fine now." He smiled at her and she smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Kevin." Gwen got out of the car and walked to her house. She gave him a wave before opening the door and disappearing inside.

If Gwen didn't think he was a monster, maybe things really weren't that bad. Maybe they would get better and he would be back to normal. She was right; there was no reason to despair right now. He still had his friends, he still had her. After all, if she didn't think he was a monster, then he most definitely was not a monster.

---

**A/N: I had fun with this. I hope it's not too cliché. I mainly wrote this because in Inferno, Kevin seems to be a lot more accepting of his appearance than he was in the previous episode, so I couldn't help but imagine Gwen talking to Kevin about it. As for the title, it was possibly one of the only themes that fit this slightly. While there was no physical healing, the word heal can also mean to soothe or reconcile. Anyway, reviews are always appreciated. **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_ **


	12. Starvation

**Author's Notes: I wrote this on a whim right before the new episode of Ben 10 Alien Force aired. It passed the time nicely and I rather enjoyed it. The subject… Kevin, back when he was living on the streets! This takes place a few days after he was thrown out. Originally I was going to use something more symbolic for the theme, but I like this idea. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

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"_Starvation, not sin, is the parent of modern crime."_

~Oscar Wilde

_**79. Starvation**_

He whimpered softly. The pain in his stomach had begun as a small nuisance, but it had escalated to an almost overwhelming sense of torture. His knees pulled tighter up against his scrawny chest in a feeble attempt to stop the pain. It didn't help at all.

Dark eyes surveyed his dirty surroundings for any sign of food. There was none. His eyes focused on the dumpster on the other side of the alleyway, but he shook his head. There was no way he was going dumpster-diving. His stomach let out another wave of pain. At least, not yet. Maybe if things became really bad, he would scrounge for some food among the garbage.

Licking cracked lips, Kevin pushed himself off the ground. Sitting around wasn't going to earn him any food. Perhaps it would earn him the pity of a passerby, but that was unlikely in the crowded streets of New York. No one looked twice at the homeless.

This iron jungle was a dog-eat-dog world. He had to take care of himself. There was _no one_ he could rely on, that much he had learned from his parents and the other homeless. If you got food, you eat it on your own. If you found a dry spot, you kept it to yourself. Sure, there were some who stuck together, but Kevin felt no desires to join one of those groups. They wouldn't accept someone like him.

His stomach sent out another throbbing sensation, disrupting his thoughts. Food, food was all he needed right now. Who cared about justice, fairness, law, _love_? All he wanted, all he cared about, was food.

His eyes jumped over to the dumpster again before a very delicious aroma swept into his nostrils. The boy's salivary glands watered at the thought of what could be producing that heavenly scent. He twisted his hear around to locate the smell.

Cautiously, the boy trailed out of the alleyway, following his nose. The sight of a hotdog vendor, serving greasy sausages in buns from a cart, caused Kevin to frown. He couldn't afford a hotdog…

What if—The boy chopped the thought off. No, he couldn't do that. It was against the law and his parents had always told him that stealing was wrong… But his parents had abandoned him, because he was a freak. Freaks didn't need to follow rules, did they? And if it came down to it, would he rather steal what he needed, search through a dumpster, or give up and die?

In the end, it was his stomach that made up his mind. Hunger was a powerful force, perhaps one of the most powerful in the universe and his stomach was demanding that it be eliminated.

The boy traipsed over, being careful to only gaze at the hotdogs out of the corner of his eye. He had never tried to steal something before and it filled him both with a rush of guilt and exhilaration. This was something new, something different, something very wrong but somehow oddly exciting. Maybe he should've tried with something easier, a supermarket for example, but this was the only available food within a block, minus the restaurants.

His eyes followed the vendor's hands as he reached over and plucked a hotdog out for his customer. His eyes watched the progression as the vendor got ready to hand over the hotdog. Pure instinct propelled the boy forwards. Just as the transfer was about to be made, Kevin grasped the hotdog and jerked it away from both hands.

"Hey!" Kevin didn't stick around to listen. He charged away, black boots thudding heavily against the ground.

"Get back here, you damn kid!" That was the vendor, shouting angrily after him. "You little thief!" People looked around in alarm, but Kevin pushed past them quickly.

The chase could hardly be considered a chase. With the cart, the vendor was too cumbersome to catch up with the agile Kevin. The customer, a tourist from the middle of the country, shook his head at the scene. There were no kids like this back home and it was certainly something he had never seen before. He wondered how parents raised their kids here before deciding that he didn't care too much if the kid was caught or not. All he wanted was a hotdog.

The boy finally came to a halt in an alleyway that looked much like the one he had been in earlier. It had graffiti, albeit a bit different, it had grime, and it had a dumpster. Glancing back at the confusion in the streets as people either passed by with only a glance at the huffing vendor or attempted to find a kid who had been lost among all the confusion.

Just for safety, Kevin hid himself behind the dumpster. For a few moments, he sat there, breathing heavily, adrenaline still coursing through him. The chase had been fun and it had awoken something within Kevin. Something that he had only known existed when he used his power. It was that same exhilaration, as if all his body was on fire. He laughed to himself before a pang from his stomach reminded him exactly why he had gone through with the whole ordeal.

The boy looked down at his plunder. The hotdog was matted from the boy gripping it and while some of the condiments had slipped off on to the ground or on to his hands, it was in good condition. He opened his mouth and took his first real bite of food since a few days when he had been thrown out.

The taste hit him at once. It was delicious, if it had been in a restaurant, he would've given the meal five stars. In reality, it could hardly earn two stars, but to the ravenous boy, it was comparable to fillet mignon. In a matter of seconds, the hotdog was gone. Kevin leaned back, slowly licking the remaining mustard and ketchup off his grimy fingers.

The meal had been a good one, but it had not completely filled his stomach. The terrible pains were gone, but he was still hungry. Slowly, he got up, a satisfied smirk spreading over his face. Never again would he be hungry. Never again would he feel those terrible pangs of hunger. Never again would he question the morality of theft.

Poking his head out from the other side of the alleyway, his eye caught a grocery store. It was the perfect target.

---

**A/N: Forgive any inaccuracies, I have never stolen anything (except for stuff from my friend's house and it was a game we devised), so I'm not knowledgeable on that front. Same goes for New York City inaccuracies, I'm just going with what I know about big cities and big city complexes from books and my own experiences in big cities. Oh and for those who don't know, fillet mignon is a very high quality beef. **

**Starvation is the title, both because he's starving and if you want to look at it in a more symbolic level, he's starving for attention, care, etc. *shrugs* I think I've been spending too much time thinking about things like an analytic English student xD Reviews are always lovely!**

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	13. Questioning

**Author's Notes: Another oneshot that I wrote. This one's inspired from **_**Cell **_**by Stephen King. In **_**Cell**_**, one of the characters talked about having a nightmare before his son was born and how it often happened when fatherhood was right before you. Thought I'd put a twist on it and so this oneshot was born. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

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"_Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible."_

~Viktor Frankl

_**16. Questioning **_

How could something so terrible come from such a tender moment? He had been cradling their newborn kid, a small boy. There had been a smile on his face, on both their faces in fact, though he wasn't entirely certain something so small could feel true happiness. Or maybe it was the other way around and only something so young could feel true happiness.

Then the kid began to shriek. And he just had to end up dropping the kid. Whether he had dropped him because of the boy's cries or because the small body had simply slipped out of his arms, he wasn't sure. But it didn't matter.

In slow motion, the kid fell, crying incessantly while his father just stared in horror. Then there was a quiet thud as the kid's body hit the concrete floor. Blood began to gush from the kid's skull. For a few seconds, the crying became an ear-piercing screech before it just stopped.

Silence.

He stared in horror at the motionless body on the floor. There was no way he could be dead. No way! …But all that blood. The scarlet blood was coating the floor and forming a large puddle. Didn't head wounds bleed a lot? Wasn't it true that they often looked a lot worse than they were?

Nervously he bent down to his knees and reached out for the kid with a trembling hand.

"Hey Devlin." His voice was shakier than it usually was and he was forced to take a breath to steady himself. "You're fine, right?"

He stretched out his hands to lift the motionless body; the boy's chest wasn't moving. Just as his hand was about to touch the baby's skin, its startling green eyes flashed open. There wasn't enough time for him to breathe a sigh of relief before the baby's mouth opened.

Razor sharp teeth grinned at him, green eyes shined evilly. "How could you do this to me?" The voice rasped. "You're a terrible father! It would be better if you just died!" All the lights in the room flicked out of existence, their energy shooting out to envelope him.

He couldn't see anything anymore. Just those haunting green eyes and red dots of pain. Screams in the darkness.

--

"Kevin, Kevin." Someone shook his shoulder urgently.

Kevin's eyes shot open as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. The last scream on his lips died down as he peered around his familiar surroundings. Sweat drenched his body and he was panting heavily. Gwen watched him with worried eyes.

"Nightmare?" She asked, recalling previous nights when he had awoken like this.

Kevin didn't answer. It had felt so _real_. But then again, so did most nightmares. He swept a hand through his damp hair and switched his gaze down to the bulge of Gwen's stomach.

Gwen followed his eyes, saw what he was looking at, and sighed. She reached out and placed a hand on Kevin's face.

"Are you worried about how you'll do as a father?"

It was amazing how easily she could read him. She always had been able to, which Kevin supposed was a good idea. He wouldn't have been able to put half his thoughts into words without her abilities.

"Yeah." Kevin nodded his head, reaching up to take her hand into his. Long ago, he had learned that lying to her was futile. Not that he didn't try to occasionally, but right now was not one of those times that he wanted to be left alone.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kevin sighed. He didn't want to bring back thoughts from his nightmare. He just wanted to forget about it, but frankly Kevin wasn't sure it would just drift away. It was ironic and unfair how sometimes the best dreams were forgotten within minutes of waking, yet the worst ones tended to stick around for much longer.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Gwen added after a few moments spent in silence.

"It's just that…" Kevin started before pausing. Gwen squeezed his hand in reassurance. "I've never had a good father to look after me and I don't know the first thing to do with a kid. I'm afraid I'll screw up, that I won't be good enough."

"Kevin—" Gwen was caught off by Kevin.

"I'm afraid that I'll do something and mess the kid up for the rest of his life. What if he hates me? What if he decides that I'm not good enough? Or what if he thinks I hate him because I can't show him that I—"

"Kevin, you can stop talking!" Gwen only raised her voice a bit, but it was enough for Kevin to quit his rant. He looked at Gwen, eyes silently begging for her help.

"You're not going to mess him up. He won't hate you. You'll be the best dad that he could ever have."

"How do you know?" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Haven't I told you that I'm always right?" Gwen said with a small smirk. Kevin nodded his head, not wanting to disagree with her at the moment. "Well then, I know you and I know you'll be the best dad that you can be."

Kevin sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Don't think about it anymore. We're both going to be challenged with the kid, but that's a natural part of childhood."

"Yeah, okay." Kevin lowered himself back on to his pillow. "I'll try." He closed his eyes and did his best to fall asleep, or at the very least act asleep, so his wife wouldn't be bothered.

---

**A/N: Short, hopefully a bit sweet, and just a bit twisted (at least Kevin's nightmare). The whole demented baby thing wasn't in **_**Cell**_**, but I couldn't help it. I just had the image of a demented baby with fangs… Yeah, I've probably got to stop reading so much horror; it's bringing such twisted images into my head that my mom's concerned about me. If you couldn't tell, the reason it's called Questioning is because Kevin's questioning himself on whether or not he could be a good father. Anyway, I hope this wasn't too OOC though I assume that the characters would act a bit differently when they're older. Reviews are appreciated.**

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_ **


	14. Expectations

**Author's Notes: Wow, I'm really on fire today with these. This one came to me from a sudden stroke of inspiration when I was staring at the list of themes, trying to find one to fit the previous oneshot. This one is a bit different than my other oneshots. In fact, it reads a bit more like a poem. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_Sometimes you fall in love with the person you least expect to."_

~Anonymous

_**33. Expectations **_

She was the kid who always followed the rules.

He always broke them.

She was the one who got compliments, who had parents who would point at her proudly.

He had nobody to say good things about him; his parents had thrown him away.

She was thought of as perfectly normal.

He was the freak living on the edge of society.

She was expected to go to Princeton, Harvard, Yale; one of those elite Ivy League schools.

He was expected to drop out of college, maybe even ditch high school.

She was expected to go on to do big things; business, politics, medical work, any other top job.

He was expected to do bad things forever; rob, kill, and sell people out.

She was expected to find a good, proper husband who would provide her with everything a family could ever want.

He was expected to never be able to commit to a relationship.

But they both beat expectations.

She broke a few rules to do what was right, only the small ones but still rules.

He stopped breaking as many rules and started to help enforce them.

She was grounded by her parents when they learned of her nighttime excursions.

He earned praise for heroic work.

She had her own powers, her own secrets of alien heritage.

He found people who didn't think he was a freak or a monster.

She attended a good college, like expected, but she stayed away from the elite Ivy League schools.

He ditched college, like expected, but went to a training academy instead.

She went on to study space and beat up aliens.

He became a hero, an officer of justice.

But most extraordinary and perhaps least expected of all, they found love in each other.

And without the other, the expectations would have slowly fallen into place.

Instead of disintegrating into the past.

---

**A/N: The title should be self-explanatory since it's talking about expectations. If you haven't guessed it, it's Gwen and Kevin.**** I'd love to hear what you thought about this. **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	15. Deep in Thought

**Author's Notes: I'm busy with NaNoWriMo, so don't expect updates from me for most of this month… In fact, I swore myself off writing fanfiction for the duration of this month, but this idea crept up on me and I couldn't let it go. So I wrote it down and I shall now be presenting it to you. It's from Kevin's perspective. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_In order to plan your future wisely, it is necessary that you understand and appreciate your past."_

~Jo Coudert

**_52. Deep in Thought_**

Ben was going to grow up to be a hero, he was sure of that. The Omnitrix would remain on his wrist and he would continue to fight evil. It was a known fact, well at least known to everyone who actually knew that Ben's fancy watch was really an alien device.

Gwen, well he was sure that she was going to do something with her life. She would keep on being the hero she was, but he knew that she also wanted to go to university and learn to do something else to go along with the alien fighting. Whatever she chose to do, he knew that she would succeed in her plans.

The two of them, they both knew where they were going. There were no "what-ifs", no "will-I-actually-do-that", no "where-will-I-be-in-5-years", no other thoughts of uncertainty on where life was taking. They were riding this wild ride that was life with their eyes wide open.

But him?

He was riding it blindfolded with no ideas on where he was going to end up or where life would take him. Simply, he had no plans and he made no efforts to make them.

Why?

Because life had been so unpredictable to him that it was impossible for him to plan without having those plans (potentially) destroyed.

He had started life in a position of stability and relative happiness though he didn't really remember that time back when his real parents had been happy together. What he did remember was the next stage when his mother remarried and his powers began to develop. He was the freak back then. Life sucked. And he could do little about it, other than sustain the injuries and try to grab at the old ways of life.

As if things couldn't get worse, he ended up on the streets. Fighting just to survive, hiding in the shadows, stealing just to eat; life was tougher than ever. He figured he would never go anywhere. He would just die one day on the streets and no one would care because the whole world hated him that much. After all, what was the death of one freak when others with people who loved them were dying elsewhere?

Then he had met Tennyson. At first, he had thought he could use Tennyson and his watch to gain revenge and money. That had ended up a failed plan as Tennyson had too golden a heart to allow the passengers of a train to die. So he had tried to take that damn watch away and ended up becoming a monster.

From being a freak dying on the streets to a horrendous monster seeking revenge, it all happened in just one day. His goal became a rather simple one focused on revenge. Killing Tennyson and stealing the watch was his only goal, it preoccupied his mind and drove him insane.

When he ended up trapped in the Null Void, his anger had slowly faded away as survival instincts had taken over. He had once again expected to die in a place where no one cared, but he wasn't going to make that death an easy one. He fought, he killed, he made illegal dealings; he did everything just to survive. The idea of gaining revenge on Tennyson was on his mind occasionally, but it was never his most foremost thought unless he was having nightmares.

After escaping from that hellhole, he had started a new life. Well, it was similar to his old one in the Null Void in that he still took illegal jobs, but he was around humans once more. It wasn't long after that when he met Tennyson and his cousin again. And joined their side.

Reality really was screwed up. From unloved child to freak, from human freak to monster freak, from villain to hero, from enemy to friend. Maybe it was just his life that was screwed up. Everyone else seemed to know their place in the world. Ben and Gwen would always be good; Vilgax would always be evil and Argit would always be scum.

The unpredictable nature of his life had led him discontinuing all plans for the future. It was just too easy for those plans to be torn apart, so to prevent that hurt, he kept them away. Sure, his mind still wanted to plan ahead, it still wanted to say that he would remain a hero forever and that he would have a happy ever after.

But what if that didn't happen? What if in a year, 5 years, a decade, he decided that being a hero wasn't worth it and he turned back to the dark side? What then? All plans would be destroyed.

After all, 5 years ago he had been a sociopath. 5 years was all that it had taken for his life to make a complete revolution. Perhaps in another 5 years he would be a monster again.

Anything could happen, which was why Kevin Levin no longer made plans.

But sometimes his mind would forget about the curves his life took and he would entertain notions of staying a hero forever, of never being pulled back into the darkness and insanity of his previous life, of being with Gwen forever.

But those plans stayed secret dreams, stuffed away in a box that he could destroy, lest something go terribly off-course and cause his life to be screwed over once again.

---

**A/N: Wow, I'm not sure if I like this or not. It's just a contemplative piece I wrote on a whim… Anyway, the theme is Deep In Thought, which I'm not sure if this captures or not, but one could say he's deeply thinking about the future (or at least his inner thoughts are on the future)… I would say that you shouldn't expect anymore updates from me because of NaNoWriMo, but there's a slim chance that I will update if an idea comes to mind (especially with In Charm's Way airing soon). Oh well, that's plot bunnies for you... Though I'm not sure if you can count this piece as having a plot. What's a plot bunny called if there's no real plot in it? **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_ **


	16. Can You Hear Me?

**Author's Notes: Stupid plot bunnies distracting me from NaNoWriMo… This idea as well as another idea hit me after I finished watching "In Charm's Way", so I naturally had to write it down. That episode tested the Gwevin relationship harshly… I'm still upset about how things turned out though I love the drama and I'm looking forwards to see how things turn out. We all know that things can't always be happy or perfect…**

**Did anyone else feel like smacking Kevin or just yelling at him to shut up this episode? I know I did. Though I did feel like hugging him when that kid at the beach called him a monster. Anyway, I'll leave my thoughts of "In Charm's Way" for more proper discussion places and let the story begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

---

"_I want to say I'm sorry, I want you to know I care,  
__I want to say I'm blind for seeing something that wasn't there.  
__I should have been more trusting and listened to my heart,  
__Cause you're the only thing I need and it's tearing me apart."_

~Anonymous

_**82. Can You Hear Me?**_

A week had passed since Charmcaster had returned and lost. Since then, Gwen hadn't gone on any patrols if Kevin was there. She avoided doing anything where Kevin was involved no matter how hard her cousin tried to convince her to come along to help them. Eventually he had decided that there was nothing he could do (at least for the moment) and he had slowly pulled himself out of their problem.

A week had passed since she had last gone on their patrols, but today she was seated in the passenger seat of Kevin's Dodge Challenger.

They had just finished the mission and Kevin was driving them home. Despite a few attempts from Ben to try and start some light conversation (all of which were shot down or ignored), the car was incredibly quiet. From his vantage point in the backseat, Ben could see Kevin shooting constant glances of regret at Gwen while Gwen just continued to stare out the window.

"Hey Kevin, can you pull over?" Ben asked, the silence between the duo finally causing him to snap.

"Why?" Kevin grumbled, his car rolling to a halt as he spoke.

"I almost forgot that I needed to meet up with Julie today." Ben smiled. Maybe this plan wouldn't work, maybe it would, but it couldn't hurt to try. Right? "I'll just turn into Jetray and fly to her house. See you two later."

Ben slipped out of the car. He would've liked to stay behind and watch the two to make sure nothing disastrous occurred. However, they would've noticed him if he followed them and he was certain that they just needed time alone to work things out. He just hoped that he was making the right choice to help them recover their relationship.

As the boy became Jetray and flew off, Kevin pushed down on the gas. The car began to move again, quickly gaining speed.

Meanwhile Kevin cast another glance at Gwen. The girl was sitting straight up, her head turned to watch the scenery go past her window. She never looked at him, not that Kevin could blame her.

After the conversation with Ben about the incident, Kevin had been feeling great regret over the whole thing. His words to Gwen at the beach and then at the planetarium were unforgivable. He had been angry, he hadn't been thinking, he had assumed things, and he had forgotten how wonderful Gwen really was. He had forgotten everything and he had destroyed their relationship. Of course she had every right to hate him.

Still… He couldn't just let their relationship die forever. He knew he had to do something to at least get her to talk to him once more. Maybe he didn't deserve her after being a monster and a jerk, but he would do anything to be able to talk to her once more and to not have her hate him. No, Kevin Levin was definitely not going to let this thing keep them apart.

"Do you want something to eat before you get home?" Kevin finally decided to challenge the silence. He didn't know what he could say. A regular apology didn't seem sincere enough even if every word of it was true. There needed to be actions to back up that apology.

Gwen didn't look over at him, just shook her head for no.

Not willing to give up, Kevin continued onwards, "You did a good job fighting those aliens." The words sounded awkward even to him as they tumbled out of his mouth.

This time Gwen did reply with words, but they were far from pleasant. "Good to know that I can do something right."

Kevin pressed his lips tightly together, thinking back to what he had said on the beach. _"You don't know how to do much of anything."_ He regretted every single word that had poured out of his mouth at that time. Why couldn't he do anything right?

"Look Gwen, I'm sorry I ever said that. I—"

"Stop."

Kevin blinked at Gwen's simple command before going on anyway, "I didn't mean—"

Gwen turned to glare at Kevin. Her green eyes stared at him, harder than he had ever seen her look at him before.

"I don't want to talk." Her words were sharp.

"We're never going to solve anything if we don't." Kevin was trying very hard to stay rational. Losing it again would only makes things worse and that was the last thing he needed to do. "I wanted to say that—"

"Shut up!" Gwen yelled at him, just as Kevin finished his sentence,

"—I'm sorry."

They both stared at each other, the car standing in an idle position on the road (thankfully it was night and there weren't any other cars on the road). Gwen glanced out the window before saying,

"Drive."

Seeing as she wasn't yelling at him, only commanding him in a stony voice, Kevin decided it was as good a time as any to continue talking.

"Gwen, I didn't want to hurt you and I'm sorry I ever did." He was sure was starting on what would grow into a ramble, but at the moment, he didn't care.

"Kevin." He stopped talking. "Shut up."

"But Gwen, I—"

"Shut up."

"But I want to fix things. I want to tell you that—"

"Shut up.

"I'm not going to shut up until you listen to me."

"Then stop driving."

Kevin glanced at her, blinking in surprise. "What?"

Gwen sighed. "Just do it."

Hoping that she was finally going to let him talk, Kevin pulled to a stop by the pavement. He opened his mouth to try to explain to her how remorseful he really was of the situation and how he should've assumed that she would help him because she wasn't the type of person to be possessive, but he had no time for that as Gwen opened the door.

"Where are you going?" Kevin asked, confusion clouding his face.

"Home." Her short, direct reply did not settle Kevin's confusion.

"But I'm driving you home."

"Not anymore. I don't want to talk to you, so I'm walking." She stepped out of the car before slamming the door shut. He watched her walking along for a few moments, blinking in shock at how things had gone. He had a feeling that he had just made things a whole lot worse.

Pushing down on the gas lightly, Kevin's car crept over to Gwen, slowly keeping pace with her. He opened the window of the passenger seat and shouted out of it,

"Gwen, stop. You shouldn't walk home on your own."

"I can take care of myself." Gwen continued walking, her gaze directed straight ahead of her and not at the boy.

"Do you really want to ignore me for the rest of your life?" Kevin asked.

"Maybe." She answered back to him.

"Can't we at least try to talk?"

This time Gwen's answer wasn't quite as immediate. She pondered over it before shaking her head.

"I don't want to talk right now," Kevin's spirits plummeted and he began to mentally scold himself for messing up the best thing that had ever happened to him, "But maybe one day, I'll listen." With that, Gwen picked up her pace to pull ahead of the creeping vehicle.

Kevin knew following Gwen wasn't a smart idea, so instead he stopped his car, his mind beginning to spin. Sure, she wasn't willing to talk to him now, but she had said there was a possibility that they could talk later. It would take a lot of work, but maybe there was a chance he could make things right again.

Maybe, just maybe, but he just knew that things weren't going to be easy. Not at all.

---

**A/N: This turned out a lot differently than I originally imagined it to be, but I still like it. I don't think things are going to be fixed in the blink of an eye or in one conversation, so I tried to show that with this fanfic. It's splitting away from canon since I'm certain they'll have something else to have the two fix their relationship. I hope this wasn't too depressing as I was going for a hopeful end. The title can be interpreted however you wish though I chose it because Kevin's trying to get Gwen to hear him out. Review and tell me what you think!**

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	17. Food

**A/N: I finished NaNoWriMo! 50,000 words of original novel material that I'm incredibly proud of! In other news, I also saw Ben 10: Alien Swarm, which was really good especially compared to Race Against Time. Nathan Keyes did a wonderful job as Kevin (he had some of the best lines in the movie) and Ryan Kelley made a great Ben. Ben's new car was beautiful, but I still want Kevie's car more. Anyway, this oneshot is a little thing I wrote a few days after Thanksgiving. The huge part in italics is a flashback. This is assuming that Kevin lives on his own and not with his mother despite having reconciled with her. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I also don't own the quote at the beginning. However, I do own this story. **

---

"Thanksgiving is possible only for those who take time to remember; no one can give thanks who has a short memory."

-Anonymous

**_87. Food_**

Thanksgiving was a day meant for celebrating with the family and stuffing oneself with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, yams, and a variety of other dishes. Family was the key word and once upon a time, he had enjoyed the day. Well, he hadn't liked it when his stepfather was there, but after dinner, his mother would take him and tell him stories while eating pumpkin pie. Now that he lived on his own, he had no family. No family meant no reason to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Not only that, but he couldn't cook well enough to make himself a fabulous dinner. He couldn't cook a turkey (it required far too much work and he wasn't even certain that he had the necessary cooking supplies to cook it), so he settled with buying a microwavable meal that consisted of turkey and mashed potatoes. A small bag of gravy was included. It was the closest he was getting to a real Thanksgiving dinner.

So he sat and ate his meal alone on his couch, staring hard at a gray photograph of his mother and father (his real one, not his stepfather). It was almost like eating with a family except the picture couldn't talk and he was eating out of a plastic box. Maybe pretending that Thanksgiving didn't exist would've been a better idea. At least then he wouldn't have to reminisce about past dinners. Earlier when Gwen had asked him about it, he had managed to pull on a nonchalant mask.

--

_He was working on his car, as usual, while Gwen sat in a chair and talked to him. Then she brought up a question that he hadn't thought about for a long time. "What are you going to do for Thanksgiving?" _

_Kevin had stopped working for a few moments, thinking of his most recent Thanksgiving dinners. Last year, he had been in the Null Void and he hadn't been certain of the date. Most likely, he had spent the day trading illegal alien tech and fighting for his life. The same went for the years before then. Before the Null Void, he had been out in the streets of New York. The nicest Thanksgiving dinner one could find out there was by stealing the food or robbing leftovers from the garbage, so instead he had spent time watching families in apartment windows with an envious eye. Every Thanksgiving had been different, each one devoid of the tradition that usually existed in such a day. _

_Because he hadn't wanted Gwen to know how much he actually wanted a nice dinner for once, he had shrugged it off nonchalantly. "Nothing." _

_Gwen had looked at him skeptically and asked, "I know you don't have great relations with your stepfather, but aren't you even going to go over for dinner just to be with your mom?" Kevin shook his head. He couldn't stand to be around his stepfather. Gwen sighed and tried another question, "Don't you care that you're going to be spending Thanksgiving alone?" _

"_Nope." Kevin smirked. "I don't care at all." _

"_Do you want to come over to my house for dinner?" _

_He had considered the offer seriously before saying, "No. I don't want to bother you."_

_She had insisted that he wouldn't be a bother, but he had denied it every single time. It would be far too awkward to be with all of Gwen's family on Thanksgiving and be the only outsider, the only one not connected to the rest of them. He really didn't want to bother them. She had left a little later after asking him if he was sure he would be fine on his own. He had nodded his head. He didn't need to create any difficulties for her. She needed to be with her family, not with him. _

_--_

So why couldn't he find that nonchalant mask now and place it over his emotions? Sure, it was a lie, but it sure beat thinking about it. Finally Kevin placed his empty box down. Was Thanksgiving even supposed to be this dreary? Usually he didn't mind the loneliness, but it stung him on days like this. Days loaded with mostly happy memories and good food.

He ended up falling asleep on the couch where he stayed until knocking at his door awoke him. Kevin let out an irritated growl before pushing himself up. Whoever was disturbing him was going to pay big-time.

Or not.

Most of the irritation left his mind as he opened the door to reveal Gwen standing there, holding a bag. Because it was Gwen, he couldn't be all that mad at her for interrupting his rest, but he didn't understand why she was over here at… Kevin sent a quick glance at a clock, which read 11 AM. Okay, maybe it wasn't so unbelievable. He should've woken up beforehand anyway.

"Gwen, what are you doing here?" Kevin asked, still eyeing the container she held with curiosity.

"Bringing you a Thanksgiving dinner."

Kevin stared at her before smirking, "Gwen, are you getting the days mixed up? Thanksgiving was yesterday."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you want free food or not?"

He smiled and motioned for her to go inside. "Free food is always good."

He trailed after her as she walked into his kitchen and set out various Tupperware containers on the dirty counter. His smile widened as he saw her glance around at the mess with a clearly disapproving glance. "If I had known you were coming over, I would've cleaned up a bit."

"I'm sure you would've."

He ignored her sarcasm as she opened one container, revealing yams. Another container had mashed potatoes and yet another stored cranberry sauce. Finally she opened the container that held the big prize, slices of turkey meat.

"Wow, you brought enough food for a feast." Kevin chuckled. "What's in that container?" He stretched out a hand towards the one container that she hadn't opened up yet.

"Not yet," Gwen whisked the container away from Kevin before the boy could reach it.

He scowled momentarily at her before shrugging it off and fixing his eyes on the containers that she had opened. "Did you heat it before you came here?"

"No." Gwen, still holding the last container, walked over to Kevin's microwave and opened it. "Can you put the food in?"

"I thought you were supposed to be doing all the work while I watched."

"Kevin," her warning tone caused the boy to chuckle before he picked up the container of turkey and placed it into the microwave.

They quickly heated up the food and then sat down on Kevin's couch with a plateful of food on each of their laps. "So what made you decide to bring some leftovers to eat with me?" Kevin asked as he took a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

"I know you said you didn't care about it, but I figured you would want a real dinner and not just something you heat up in a microwave."

"We did heat this up in a microwave." Kevin pointed out with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "But it didn't come in a package from the frozen food aisle."

"True," Kevin stuffed more mashed potatoes into his mouth before following up with some turkey slathered in cranberry sauce. "It sure beats frozen food."

Once they had finished eating, Kevin pointed out towards the container that Gwen had kept away from this entire time. "Can I see what's in there now?"

"If you insist."

Gwen handed over the container to Kevin who quickly tore off the lid. Two hearty slices of pumpkin pie stared back at him. Memories of sitting with his mother came to mind. They had always sat upstairs in his room, away from his stepfather who would be watching football at the time. Each of them would have a slice of pumpkin pie and she would be telling him stories, almost all of which were about his dad and the days before he had disappeared. Sometimes the pie would be topped with whipped cream, other times they would eat it plain. However, every time it was just the two of them, eating and telling stories.

"Kevin, is there something wrong?" Gwen's voice broke him out of his reverie. "Do you not like pumpkin pie?"

Kevin shook his head. "Everything's fine." He smiled at her and added, "Better than fine."

"Then what's with the thoughtful expression?"

"Just reliving things." Kevin didn't say anything more and Gwen didn't bother him about it. Sometimes it was best to push him about things or he would never say anything, but at this moment, it was best to just let him tell her on his own accord.

Using a fork, he maneuvered each pie slice on to their plates. Taking a bite out of it, Kevin felt himself drift further into his memories. It was probably the best thing he had tasted in a long time. A content smile slipped on to his face and he spoke softly, "My mom and I used to have pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving while my stepfather watched football. It was always just the two of us."

Gwen hadn't really expected him to talk about it, but now that he did, she listened quietly to him talk about the old Thanksgiving tradition. A smile appeared on her face as she listened to him, but she stayed silent the entire time. Sometimes saying nothing was far better than saying something.

When Kevin was done with the pumpkin pie, he stopped talking about his mother and the stories she had told him. For a few moments, the two sat in silence, basking in each other's company.

"You should bring food over more often." Kevin finally said, placing his plate down on the table.

"What happened to not caring about Thanksgiving dinner?" Gwen smiled at him, causing the boy to smirk.

"It's not Thanksgiving and it's not dinner either."

Gwen rolled her eyes, only to feel Kevin's lips press against her cheek and his voice whisper into her ear, "Thanks." Then he pulled away, feeling thankful that he had someone like her in his life.

---

**A/N: I liked how this one came out. It was nice to write something with pointless fluff in it. The title is fairly self-explanatory, seeing as there's food involved with Thanksgiving. I don't think I've got anything else to say except that I'm looking forwards to Trade-off this Friday. Oh and happy late Thanksgiving!**

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	18. Introduction

**A/N: Originally I was considering doing a Christmas oneshot, but no good ideas came to mind, so I wrote this instead. It's a Pierce and Helen sibling drabble They were both adopted by the same family, which made me think of what happened to their parents. I hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.**

---

"May the love of those around you help you through the days ahead."

-Anonymous

_**1. Introduction**_

"Pierce! I'd like you to meet someone."

The voice caused Pierce to look away from the TV to where his father stood framed in the doorway. There was someone standing a bit behind him, but Pierce couldn't make out the person's features too well. In fact, all he caught was a flash of blue before the small figure disappeared fully behind his father's back.

His father noticed that the person he had been leading was no longer by his side because he turned around. He murmured something too quietly for Pierce to make out, but he could guess that his father was coaxing the figure into revealing him or herself.

This gave time for Pierce's curiosity to grow. Who did his father want to show him? His father was a Plumber, one of the few human ones, but he rarely brought anything related to work home excluding secret files and weaponry. Never did he bring anything _alive _home.

And what else could this mysterious and shy person be if not from his work? He wouldn't randomly bring a stranger home especially seeing as he had a son with quills. Most people would be freaked out by Pierce's alien features. And whenever someone did come over that was unfamiliar with aliens, Pierce would be hidden away in his room with a warning ahead of time.

His father must have said something right because the figure stepped into sight, revealing herself to Pierce. The blue that Pierce had seen had not come from clothing like he had originally presumed. It was her skin color. And she had a tail. Yep, definitely not normal and definitely something that most humans would never see.

"This is Helen." His father spoke again and Pierce looked up at his father's face. It had turned grim all of a sudden. "Her family was killed by some aliens seeking certain tech. She was the only survivor."

A heavy silence descended upon them. The story was similar to what had happened to Pierce's real parents and because of this, Pierce's heart panged in sympathy. He remembered how distant and depressed he had been after the death of his family. No wonder she looked so sad.

Helen was still standing by his father, her light green eyes staring sadly at the floor. As Pierce looked closer, he could see salty streaks on her face and a few bruises and scratches on her slim body. Pierce had once had a little sister whom he had been fiercely protective of, but she had died along with his parents. But now, looking at Helen, he felt that same protective spirit rise up in him.

He took a few steps up to her until he was close enough to extend a hand to her. "Hello, I'm Pierce."

Helen stared at his hand for a minute and just when Pierce decided that she might not want to shake it, she reached out and took it. Her hand was warm in his, but it shook in his grip. Pierce wasn't sure if this was because she was shy or because she was still shaken by the death of her parents.

"Pierce, can you show Helen to your room? I'll go and get the first-aid kit." Pierce had nearly forgotten his father was there, but he nodded his head, pleased to be of help to the man who had helped him so much. But even more than helping his father, Pierce was pleased that he would be helping Helen.

"Come on Helen." Pierce spoke gently. To his relief, she followed him with no complaints. Sometimes survivors could be difficult and push against doing anything, but it seemed as if Helen had simply locked herself up in her despair.

He led her through the house until they reached his room. "Sit here." He motioned for her to sit down on the bed before sitting down himself. Another silence descended upon them as Pierce searched for the best words to comfort her.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened to your parents. I know how you feel." He offered her a very small smile, but she didn't see it because her eyes were pinned to the floor. "Mine were killed too."

This simple statement caused Helen's eyes to jolt from the floor and look into Pierce's eyes. She was clearly surprised that his family had suffered the same fate and that he had been taken in by the same man who had helped her.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but if you ever need to, I'll always be willing to listen." Pierce continued to speak, gaining confidence from the fact that he now had her total attention. They sat in silence for a few moments and Pierce couldn't help but wonder if the offer had caused her to shut down.

"Thank you." It was the first time he had heard her speak and it struck Pierce with surprise. He watched her carefully as she continued to speak in the same timid voice, "When I saw them…" She paused and Pierce nodded his head to indicate that she didn't need to say the dreaded word. Helen cast him a grateful look before continuing, "I thought there would never be someone who could help or would even want to… I thought I'd be alone, but you're so nice… You actually want to help…"

Pierce smiled at her and pulled her into a comforting hug. Helen broke into tears, which quickly wet Pierce's shoulder. However, he didn't mind. He just continued to rock Helen back and forth, thinking of his own little sister. It was just like being with her again except Helen didn't have any quills growing out of her skin and his sister had never been this sad.

Yes, things might be difficult for Helen as she got over the death of her parents, but Pierce was determined to make things easier for her and to protect her from ever being hurt like this again. He considered it his duty and even more than that, as time wore on, he grew fond of Helen. She was like the sister he had lost and protecting her filled a hole in his heart.

As for Helen, time would certainly help her as, but it was Pierce that took away the worst of the pain.

---

**A/N: I like it though I hope it's not too cheesy. Seeing as I don't know exactly when they were adopted or even if it was at the same time, I put my own spin on things. Maybe canon will one day contradict me, but for the moment, it works. The title is obviously a reference to the two being introduced to one another. Reviews are greatly appreciated as usual. **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	19. All That I Have

**A/N: This is just something I thought up randomly. In case you don't know, an Uxorite is the same species that Xylene is. She's a character from the original for those who haven't watched it. They've got telekinetic abilities as well as two prehensile tentacles coming from their heads, a tail, and an extendable tongue. I recommend looking up an image if you don't know what I'm talking about. And a Tetramand is like Fourarms or Manny. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot. **

---

_"In all things it is better to hope than to despair."_

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

_**92. All That I Have**_

The mission had quickly degenerated into chaos. All their Intel, all their careful plans, all that was now dust in the wind. Already five of the original seven members of the squad were dead, but he was still alive. One of two survivors, waiting to be tortured for information or whatever it was that the aliens wanted from them.

An Uxorite, she appeared to be the leader by the way she continuously gave orders to those around her, stalked up to the final two survivors. Her pink eyes watched them carefully, a small smirk sliding on to her face.

"Now then… I get to choose which of you dies and which of you lives." She tapped her chin thoughtfully with a slender, green finger. "Which one of you is more likely to talk?"

"You're not getting anything out of either of us." Kevin growled at her.

The Uxorite laughed. "I always like a rebellious prisoner. They're all the more fun to break." Her eyes narrowed as she took an air of seriousness once more. "But this is serious, boy. We have ways at making people talk."

Kevin glared at her, annoyed that she would call him boy. "And I'm telling you that I won't tell you anything about the Plumbers."

"We'll see about that." The Uxorite turned away and nodded her head to the seven Tetramands who were her company. It was rare to find criminals in such large groups like these especially Tetramands who tended to fight frequently amongst themselves. But it seemed as if respect for the Uxorite female kept them working together. Two of the Tetramands came to escort the prisoners into the cells within their ship while the others worked at securing any alien tech they could from the remains of the Plumber ship.

Kevin's partner, a guy whose name Kevin had forgotten as they usually weren't on the same team, whispered, "You shouldn't anger them. It'll just make escaping harder."

"Yeah, whatever." Kevin rolled his eyes. Out of everyone on the team, he had to end up with the one who always had to be serious and quiet. And orderly, or at least that's what Kevin had heard.

Thinking back to the ambush, Kevin felt despair run through him. Ben and Gwendolyn hadn't been there (fortunately), but Alan and Cooper had both been present. And now they were dead. If his current situation hadn't been so bad, he might have cried for his fallen friends. Or more likely he would've ripped apart the criminals for what they had done. After calling for some back-up, of course. Kevin wasn't stupid enough to charge into that large a group of foes without help.

He closed his eyes briefly to banish the thoughts. Right now, he couldn't afford to wallow in the past. He needed to escape before they placed higher security on him. Just how to do it… Energy cuffs had been attached to his hands as soon as they had caught him and getting out of them would be tough.

"Wait," the Tetramands who had been leading them aboard paused to glance back at their leader. Kevin turned back, wondering what the Uxorite could want to do.

"Yes, Arene?" The Tetramand asked.

"I've decided I don't want useless baggage on my ship." Before Kevin could find out exactly what that meant, a magenta glow surrounded his partner's cuffs and drew him closer to her. Once he had gone close to her, Arene's head tentacles wrapped around his neck.

"No…" Kevin's partner muttered softly as her prehensile tentacles slowly began to cut off his oxygen supply. Just as he was about to black out, Arene released him. Instantly he began to take in deep breaths of air.

With the same smirk that she almost always seemed to wear, Arene said, "You didn't think I'd let you die that easily, did you?" With that, she repeated the procedure a few times. Then one time, rather than slowly squeezing at his wind pipe, Arene wrenched his neck. A crack could be heard and she let the body fall.

"There." Arene nodded her head. "Burn the bodies and let's go."

Kevin scowled. The only reason they would burn the bodies is to make sure the Plumbers would assume the whole group had died. That way they wouldn't send search parties out to hunt down the criminals and retrieve prisoners. Sure, the Plumbers would eventually hunt them down anyway to get justice, but it wouldn't be quite as fast as a search party.

Fire began to spread quickly across the fallen bodies of Kevin's companions. Everything had gone so drastically wrong. His eyes skimmed over their bodies; good friends, work partners, and enemies alike going up in flames. Momentarily he paused to watch Alan, thinking of the irony that a half-Pyronite would end up burning. And then there was Cooper; the genius boy that Kevin had enjoyed teasing Gwendolyn about.

"Let's go." Arene said briskly. "We don't want to be here when the Plumbers show up."

--

It had been a whole hour since he had been brought aboard though Kevin was bored. They had secured his wrists and ankles to a round plate in the middle of the room and left him there to hang. And now he was just stuck, waiting for someone to come around and actually _do _something.

Not that he had been idle all this time. Oh no, Kevin had most definitely not been idle. He had tried absorbing the metal plate to no avail (it seemed as if he was bound by energy cuffs though it hadn't stopped him from trying), he had tried simply breaking the bindings to no avail, he had tried everything he could possibly think of but it had resulted in nothing. For the past few minutes, he had been examining the room for anything that he could use if they even let him off this plate for a minute.

The room itself was plain. It was round with no windows. The walls appeared to be made of titanium and they were a uniform gray. There was a vent in the room, but it was up high and too small to crawl through. Fluorescent lights illuminated the space, but that was it. Kevin could see some sort of machinery out of his peripheral vision, but he couldn't distinguish it.

The sound of a door sliding open and shut brought Kevin to attention. He put on a defiant smirk. If he couldn't escape, he would stay defiant and go out in a typical Kevin fashion.

Arene smiled upon seeing him. "I hope you'll choose the easy way and just tell us everything you know. We don't want to resort to other methods."

"I'm sure you don't." Kevin sneered.

A flicker of annoyance appeared on Arene's face before disappearing. "Now, now, how about you drop the attitude? We just want to know some things and we know you can tell us."

Kevin chuckled. "Well, that's the first time I've heard someone say I know something. Most people assume I know nothing."

"Drop it." Arene growled, a warning note in her voice.

"Drop what? I'm not holding anything." Maybe he should've kept his mouth shut, but Kevin couldn't resist it. Plus, if he shut up, he was just giving into the enemy and that was something Kevin didn't do.

Arene's eyes narrowed. "Fine, if you wish to be difficult…" She nodded her head at one of the Tetramands. Kevin watched as the Tetramand walked to the machinery that Kevin had spotted. The Tetramand rolled it into view, revealing that it had a dial on it with a read-out that currently said zero. He turned it a few notches.

Kevin did not like where this was going, but he had little time to think as electricity coursed through his body. When he was able to absorb it, electricity didn't bug him. However, when his powers were being held back, it hurt him though not quite as much as it would hurt a regular human.

_Don't scream. _Even if the pain was making him want to yell, Kevin grit his teeth together and took it. _Don't scream _became his new mantra, the only thing going through his mind along with the burning pain.

And then it just stopped. Kevin opened his eyes, unaware that he had closed them, and looked at a smirking Arene. "So, do you want to talk now, boy?"

"I'm not a kid." Kevin remarked through gritted teeth. He had always hated being called boy, but it irked him that she was calling him that despite the fact that he was 24.

Arene turned to the Tetramand holding the control. "Up the voltage this time."

He nodded and the electricity levels increased. Once again, Kevin found himself lost in that world of pain except this time he couldn't keep the screams inside. They burst forth, horrid screams from a body that was close to losing it. Like last time, the pain eventually stopped, allowing time for Kevin to draw in deep breaths.

"Now tell me everything you know about the Plumbers."

"No." Kevin refused. He would've preferred to reply with a witty quip, but his mind was still working through the pain of the electrocution.

Arene sighed and nodded her head. "Do it again. Crank it up to the highest setting this time."

Kevin braced himself for the pain, silently willing himself to at least try and absorb some of it. It didn't work and the electricity charged through his system. He felt like he was going to die, like everything in his body was going to be ripped apart.

Self-preservation, that instinct that had guided him through the streets of New York and later the Null Void, still ran in Kevin's mind. He could usually tuck it away and forget about it while rushing into danger. However, now it came tearing up from the depths of his mind. It screamed at him and finally he managed to turn out of his own screams into a word, "Stop it!"

A few seconds passed and then the current was shut off. Kevin slumped back in his bindings, relieved that it was gone. Pain still existed, he was sure that he had internal burning from the electricity, but it wasn't as bad.

"So the boy finally screamed for mercy?" Arene's voice brought him back to his senses. "Does this mean you'll talk?"

No, he couldn't rat out his friends. He had called for a halt in the heat of the moment, but Arene's words made him think back to everyone else. There was no way he could betray them like that just to save his own hide. Maybe once upon a time, he would've done so, but now? Now after all those years together… Pierce, Manny, Helen, Max, Ben, Gwendolyn… No he couldn't betray any of them.

Instead he would just have to succumb to the pain, deal with it until they finally figured out that he wasn't going to say anything and killed him. Kevin didn't want to die, but it was preferable to the others, especially her, dying. Anyway, Arene would probably kill him after she got her information, so there really wasn't a benefit to telling her.

It didn't come right away, but slowly a smirk spread across Kevin's face. While her smirk remained in place, Arene watched him cautiously, uncertain about his change in face.

"Well! You can start talking." Arene growled. "We don't have all day."

"Nothing would make me spill my guts to your ugly lizard-face." His smirk widened just as she let out a small gasp of shock. Yep, he was certain he was going to die, but at least he had managed to surprise her before then.

"Turn it on and keep it on. We'll see how many times he has to scream for mercy before I decide to be nice enough to turn it off." Arene snapped. Gone was her business-like way of handling things, replaced by a very irritated and hateful demeanor. Oh yeah, she was definitely pissed now.

"And if it kills him?" The Tetramand asked with some worry in his voice.

"Then he's dead and our client doesn't get the information." Arene shrugged it off. The Tetramand looked like he was going to argue with the point, but something in Arene's face kept him from saying anything.

Instead he just twisted the dial back to the highest setting, sending Kevin back to a world of pain.

Darkness tugged at Kevin's mind, beckoning him to give it up and stop struggling for his life. Despite his desire not to give into it, Kevin had to admit that passing out was starting to sound more and more appealing. The pain would all be gone and he wouldn't even feel himself die. Or would he? What would death feel like? Would it really be like he was traveling through a tunnel with a light at the end, or was all that just crap? Would he feel anything?

Kevin felt the world disappearing as he drew closer to that darkness. The pain pushed him closer and closer. And for once, Kevin felt like he could welcome this freedom, welcome the reprieve it would bring from the pain.

And that's when a particular memory struck him.

--

"_You can't possibly go on this mission, Gwendolyn! I forbid it." The Magister replied in a rather calm voice. _

"_I have to go." Gwendolyn crossed her arms, staring hard at the reptilian face of the Magister._

"_I don't see why." The Magister huffed. _

"_Because he's going." Gwendolyn pointed at Kevin. Her voice turned slightly tender, "I don't want him going alone." _

"_I assure you that Mr. Levin will be fine whether or not you're there. And he won't be alone." The Magister sighed, flipping through a few of the papers on his desk. "In your condition, we cannot send you off-planet for missions. In fact, you shouldn't be going on any missions, period." _

_Gwendolyn sighed, glancing downwards. "I can handle it." _

"_He's right, Gwendolyn." It was the first time Kevin had spoken since Gwendolyn had begun arguing for her right to go on the mission. She looked over at Kevin. "You shouldn't be out fighting when you're this close to having a baby." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know that." _

_She muttered, "It's not that close…" But he could feel her resolve weakening slowly. It would just take a little more and she would agree to stay without the need of constraints. _

"_Do you really want to endanger the baby? Our baby?" _

_Tears formed in her eyes and Kevin pulled her close. Perhaps adding that last comment had been a mistake, but it had worked. It had broken her resolve just like he knew it would. _

"_I hate to break up this touching scene, but the ship will be leaving in 10 minutes." The Magister informed them. "I'll leave you two alone to say your good-byes." They stayed silent until he slipped out of his office._

"_Promise me you'll come back safe and sound." _

"_You know that I'll come back safe. I always do." Kevin shrugged. "Anyway, it's not dangerous. In fact, it sounds like it'll be boring."_

"_Promise me anyway." _

_Kevin sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get anywhere without making the promise. "I promise I'll come back. I won't leave you alone with our unborn baby, okay?" _

_Gwendolyn nodded. "I'll come and hunt you down if you don't keep that promise." _

_Smirking, Kevin responded, "I'll miss you too." _

"_We have to leave now." Alan informed them. _

_Kevin pulled Gwendolyn in for a brief kiss. "I'll see you soon." He whispered softly into her ear before pulling away. _

"_Don't forget about your promise." Gwendolyn called after him._

_He smirked. "Don't worry. I never break my promises." A scowl settled on to his face momentarily as he heard her laugh. "Okay, I never break my promises to you." He added as he walked away on a mission that would end in disaster. _

--

Out of all the memories to come up, this one had to be the one. Even if the darkness seemed so alluring through all that pain, Kevin knew he had to keep fighting. He couldn't give up, not with Gwendolyn waiting for him. Not with the unborn baby waiting for a father to come home…

There was no way he could leave them alone.

Fighting hard, Kevin focused on the electricity raging through him. If only he could absorb it, if only he could direct the power to overload the energy cuffs around his hands. He hadn't used the ability for a long time, preferring the safety of absorbing material over the unpredictability of energy.

"We should probably turn it off." The words seemed a lot clearer than they once had and Kevin could identify the speaker as one of the Tetramands.

"No." That was good, ole Arene. Making sure that he suffered long and hard, all the way down the road of death.

"But he's going to—"

"I don't care." Arene cut him off. One day, Kevin would have to thank Arene for never listening to her minions. Whatever the Tetramand had been about to say would've prevented the events that came after.

The energy cuffs had heated up considerably from the first moment when electricity had begun running through them. They wouldn't be able to hold him much longer, as long as he didn't die first.

Gritting his teeth, Kevin prepared himself to bear through it all. Maybe it would all turn out useless as Arene was still standing nearby. But if he could just break out… His chances for escape would increase tenfold. For now, he would just focus on thoughts of her.

A sharp, crackling sound was heard as the energy cuffs finally overloaded, sending splinters into the air. Instantly Kevin felt electricity course through his body, but in a different way than before. Now it was him funneling it through his own body, his own powers allowing it to come into him without damaging his already frazzled system.

A smirk appeared on Kevin's face as he noted Arene's look of utter shock. Then he released the energy he had absorbed, sending it at the Tetramand by the controls. Really, it was rather fortunate that they were funneling this much energy into Kevin. If not, he might not have been able to fry his four-armed captor. As it was, the corpse dropped to the floor.

Kevin directed nearly all of the energy he had absorbed at the other Tetramands in the room, frying all of them. Arene was the only survivor left, other than Kevin. She growled and muttered something darkly before announcing, "You've had your fun, boy, but this is going to end."

"Bring it." Kevin pressed his hands against the back of the panel he was still partly strapped to and absorbed the metal. He snapped the rest of the metal bindings off himself before dropping on to the floor.

Kevin stumbled, his legs shaking. Arene saw and smirked, "Looks like your muscles aren't pleased with the electric shock. This isn't even going to be worth my effort."

Legs still shaking, Kevin noted that Arene was right. He had survived the electric shock, but there was no way that he was going to be able to win in a fight. His heart was beating quickly, but it hadn't gone into an erratic rhythm, so Kevin assumed that it was alright. On the other hand, the muscles in his arms were twitching and he didn't know how much control he had. And that didn't even cover the pain that still coursed through his body.

Of course he wasn't going to be able to win in a fight in this condition, but that didn't mean he wouldn't put up a hell of a fight.

Kevin raised his arms and got ready to fire a retort back at her when a computerized voice announced, "Warning! Electrical overcharge. Systems failing."

Arene said something in her native tongue before twirling to glare at Kevin. He watched her with a growing smirk. "It's your fault for overcharging the system!"

"I'm not the one who turned the damn machine on," Kevin pointed out. "It was you who insisted on keeping it on for so long."

Arene's lips pressed tightly together, but she didn't deny the claim. Because it really had been her fault that she had allowed the machine to overcharge the system. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

The lights flicked off, leaving them in complete darkness. Not sure how long his luck would hold, Kevin slowly edged towards one side of the room until he felt the wall under his hand. If he could just creep out of his room, maybe he would be able to find an escape pod.

"Where are you, you little coward?" Kevin bit his lip to keep from shouting out. If it was one thing he had learned in the Null Void, it was that sometimes it really was better to retreat than to fight. Especially if it meant to fight another day. He would come back and deal with Arene later, but right now, he needed to find his way out.

"Come out, you bastard!" Arene hissed. There was a crash, Kevin assumed she had tried telekinetically flinging the panel he had been strapped to, and while its proximity bothered him, it wasn't close enough to prove a real threat.

A run was out of the question, so Kevin forced himself to go at a quick stumbling pace. His footfalls sounded awfully loud to him, but Arene's hearing must not have been as good because her projectiles continued to miss. And throughout it all, Kevin continued to hear her swearing at him, insulting him, trying to jibe him out from the shadows. And as much as he wanted to attack her for her verbal lashing, he just continued to picture Gwendolyn's face.

In this fashion, Kevin managed to find his way out of the room. It helped that he had absorbed the wall, giving him further camouflage in the shadows. Once out of the room, he increased his pace.

This was the tricky part. Finding an escape pod would've been hard in any case, but to have to find it in the darkness on a foreign ship… Kevin shoved the thought away. He either found it or he didn't.

Arene's howls of rage were growing slightly softer as Kevin trekked through the ship. He hoped that she was still occupied in the room. If not, his chances would instantly hit one in a millionth. She knew where the escape pods were, she could've gotten off by now, but wrath had consumed her and it would probably keep her busy for a while longer.

"Back-up generator turning on! Switching on emergency systems!" The computerized voice called out, causing Kevin to swear as some lights flickered on. It wouldn't be long now for Arene to notice that Kevin had left the room and was elsewhere on board. He sped up slightly, turned a quick corner, and continued on his way.

Blinking red lights ahead with some sort of alien writing on them alerted Kevin. While he didn't know what the sign said, he could definitely guess what they were hiding and his guess turned out to be right. It was a room full of four escape pods.

"Where the hell are you, you little bastard?" Arene yelled, causing Kevin to jump. Yep, she was definitely close. Too close for comfort.

He needed to make sure that she wouldn't pursue him. Releasing all the escape pods was his best bet as long as she didn't charge into the room before he was done. He quickly weighed the pros and cons over before deciding it was worth the risk.

He worked quickly and managed to send three escape pods off without any trouble. As he approached the fourth (it was also the one he would be riding in), a hunk of metal hurled past his head, clipping his ear.

Kevin turned to see a furious Arene glaring at him. "Game over, little boy."

For a moment, panic set in. Adrenaline buzzing through his veins had kept him going this far, but it wouldn't do much in combat with a telekinetic Uxorite. This was it…

For a few moments, Kevin just stared at Arene, getting ready to fire some sharp comment at her. Despite his halt and his (almost) defeat, the buzzing in his veins wouldn't go away. That's when he realized just what it was and raised a hand towards Arene.

"Maybe it's over for you, but I've still got plans."

A small amount of electricity jumped out from his outstretched hand and hit Arene soundly in the chest. She uttered a horrible, guttural sound and fell down to her knees. The fact that she hadn't fallen completely over confirmed that she would be alright in a few minutes, so he had to move fast.

He got ready to charge into the escape pod, but he couldn't bring himself to move in that direction. Instead he found himself quickly stumbling over to the Uxorite's side. She was helpless, down, and he couldn't just leave her like that. It was just too good a chance to pass up.

Recovering his hand in the metal coat (it had been lost when the electricity had been discharged), he brought his fist down onto her neck. There was a sharp crack as her spine broke and a mad holler escaped her lips before she fell over. Not wanting to waste time to see if her pulse was going, Kevin jolted to the escape pod and keyed in some coordinates before pulling the lever.

Instantly his escape pod was hurtling through space. Kevin sank down to the floor and leaned his head back on the cool metal behind him. Slowly his own metal coating crept off as he let his eyes close. It was so tempting just to give in and sleep. Sleep forever, maybe.

But he wasn't going to give into that particular temptation. He had to stay up, had to make sure that the escape pod landed correctly, and then he had to find his way to Gwendolyn to let her know that he was perfectly fine.

Slowly those thoughts drifted away from him and no matter how hard he tried to stay awake, Kevin found himself lost to blackness.

--

"Impact in 10 seconds, deploying parachutes." A growl at interrupting his sleep. "Impact in 9 seconds." Wondering why he was leaning against metal and not in a soft bed. "Impact in 8 seconds." Wondering why the hell the voice wouldn't shut up and let him sleep. "Impact in 7 seconds." Hand groping uselessly while attempting to find an off switch. "Impact in 6 seconds." Another growl when he failed to find the switch.

"Impact in 5 seconds!" Kevin's eyes fluttered open in alarm as the situation hit him. He wasn't in a bed; he was in a small pod hurtling through the atmosphere. And the reason the voice wouldn't let him sleep was because he was going to have to brace himself for landing.

"Impact in 4 seconds!" Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Kevin reached over and quickly pulled some safety straps over himself. The straps pressed into his skin, making the pain that had hit him much worse.

"Impact in 3, 2, 1!"

There was a loud thud as the thick hull of the escape pod hit into the ground. Kevin slipped out of the straps and quickly opened the door of the pod. He stumbled off it and sank down to his knees into the grass his pod had landed in. Fresh, evening air hit him and he greedily inhaled it. Even if he hadn't been a prisoner for long, it felt like forever since he had felt grass under him, had inhaled the fresh air of Earth. It felt good.

What would feel even better was getting home and feeling his wife's arms entwine around him. Kevin pushed himself up and began to walk towards home.

Eventually he reached the familiar house that was his. Grinning, Kevin stuck a hand into his pocket, only to find that his keys were missing. Well, that wasn't a problem. Gwendolyn would let him in.

Kevin rung the doorbell and waited. As he waited, he gave himself a close examination. Black hair hanging limply around his face, skin covered in wounds and burns, throat parched from thirst, stomach growling incessantly, muscles aching due to internal burning; yep, he was far from fine but the important thing was that he had gotten home. Everything else could wait for later.

The door opened and Kevin casually announced, "I'm home."

For a few moments, there was silence between the two before Gwendolyn charged forwards and hugged Kevin tightly. Her voice was hoarse as she muttered into his chest, "I thought you were dead."

The hug hurt, but Kevin didn't mind so much. As long as he got to hug her back, as long as he got to confirm that this was real and not a dream that he would awaken from, only to be back in the torture chamber. "Well, I'm not." Still too casual for a conversation such as this.

"They said they found no survivors." He felt wetness on his chest and assumed Gwendolyn had been crying.

"I promised I would come back, didn't I?" Kevin replied, rubbing her back soothingly.

"…Yeah, you did." Gwendolyn finally admitted. She didn't add anymore, that if he had died the promise would never have been complete, because for the moment, all she wanted to do was relish the fact that he was still alive.

"Gwendolyn, you're hurting me." Finally Kevin had to say it. He hated to break apart the hug and admit to pain, but she was going to kill him if she kept holding him so tightly.

She released him and took a step backwards to survey him. "Come on; let's get you to the hospital."

Kevin frowned and joked, "I get tortured, nearly die, escape just to come home to you and now you're sending me to the hospital. Shouldn't I get some sort of reward for making my way back?"

"Not until you're healed." Gwendolyn frowned at him and gestured towards the car. "Come on, I'll drive."

Kevin opened his mouth to complain before closing it. He wouldn't make a good driver anyway in his condition. "Fine," he grumbled.

Gwendolyn smirked at him before her smirk turned into a small smile. "You're forbidden from going on missions without me from now on."

Kevin scowled, "But you're not going anywhere soon."

"Just like you." She laughed softly at his grumbling complaints, knowing that he would complain for a bit, she would tell him she was just joking (even though she was tempted to tie him up and keep him safe), they would laugh about it, and then the next time a mission came around, he would go on it. For the moment, she would just have to appreciate having him home alive from the disasterous mission.

---

**A/N: Originally Kevie was going to die, having given into the darkness. However, it's either because I've been reading way too many depressing stories (I love them, but sometimes they can bring me down) or I've just been feeling a bit sad lately for assorted reasons, that I felt like I needed a happy ending. I typed it up, with a bit of regret because I still think it would've turned out great (maybe even better and definitely more realistic) with a sad ending. Kevin sure gets lots of luck here. This also turned out a lot longer than I had originally planned, but it was still (mostly) a joy to write. **

**As for the title, it's referring to clinging on to the hope of getting out and knowing he has to get out for Gwen and the currently unborn baby Devlin. Reviews are always appreciated. **

**_Twilight Phantom Dragon_**


	20. Memory

**A/N: I've reached twenty oneshots! Just 80 more and I'm done with the theme challenge. Today's oneshot is Gwevin though it's set in the future. I had multiple ideas on how to start this off, but finally settled with reducing the whole thing down to one scene. I'm not sure whether it was because I'm lazy or because I want the scene to speak for itself… Anyway, enjoy the fluffiness. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot. **

---

"_Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be."_

-Robert Browning

_**11. Memory**_

"Where are we going Kevin? All the restaurants are back there." Gwendolyn asked, glancing over her shoulder at the rapidly shrinking lights of Bellwood.

"We're not going to any restaurants." Kevin replied before adding, "Or anywhere else in town."

"Then where are we going?"

A smirk slid over Kevin's face, "It's a surprise." He glanced over to enjoy the irritated look on Gwendolyn's face before turning his attention back to the road.

Gwendolyn sighed before leaning her head against the window to watch the desert scenery pass by. "You know I don't like surprises."

"Yeah." Kevin's smirk got bigger.

"So, why can't you tell me?"

Kevin considered it for a few moments before replying, "Don't feel like it."

"You think you would've gotten more mature over the years." Gwendolyn grumbled with a roll of her eyes. Meanwhile, her mind was spinning. What could Kevin have planned to do in the desert? They couldn't be going to Los Soledad, could they? It was the only place she could think of out here in the middle of nowhere.

To her surprise, they turned off the highway far too early to be going into Los Soledad. They had barely left the city behind and now they were stopping in a barren place with only a crater and a pile of metal to keep them company? What kind of surprise was this?

"Kevin, what are we doing here?" Gwendolyn crossed her arms and looked over at him.

"You don't remember?" When she shook her head, he just grinned.

"Well, let's try to jog your memory." Kevin stepped out of the car and flicked the radio on before offering a hand to Gwendolyn. "Wanna dance?" He asked, fake accent in place just to amuse her.

The memory hit her suddenly as his words sunk in and she took his hand. 7 years ago, he had said the same exact words to her here. And they had danced to the moonlight, just like they were doing now. One glance at the pile of junk was all it took to ascertain that this was the place where Big Chill had laid his eggs and they had had their substitute dance.

But why had Kevin taken her all the way out here? A thrill of excitement ran through her as she considered the possibilities.

"Do you remember now?" Kevin asked, bringing Gwendolyn out of her nostalgic thoughts into the warmth of Kevin's arms around her waist.

"We danced here." She leaned her head against his chest, not even bothering to check to see if he nodded.

As the song finished up, Gwendolyn opened her mouth to ask Kevin a question, only to be shushed by the man. She shot him a questioning glance as he kneeled down before her before realization hit her like a mallet, just as the next song started.

"Will you marry me?" Kevin opened up a box, revealing a platinum ring imbedded with diamonds.

"It's been long enough." Gwendolyn held out her hand, allowing a grinning Kevin to slide the ring on to the proper finger.

"It took a while to find the perfect ring." They both knew that it wasn't the reason he had procrastinated on asking, but it didn't really matter anymore. He kissed her.

When he pulled away, Gwendolyn just took in their surroundings. The lilting melody of the song was playing its last few notes, the night sky was perfectly clear, the setting brought back sweet memories.

With a smirk, she said, "You couldn't have been anymore cliché."

At that moment, the song switched to a fast-paced tune, breaking the romantic vibe of the scene. Kevin shrugged at her. "I figured girls like the romantic stuff. And it's not like I took you out to some fancy restaurant before proposing. But if you're complaining, I can always take back the ring, get a cheaper replacement, and buy some new engine parts instead."

Gwen smacked his arm before leaning closer to Kevin. "I never said I didn't like it."

---

**A/N: Oh my, this has got to be one of the cheesiest things I've ever written. However, I do like how it turned out. Anyway, the title is a reference to the memory the place has. Reviews are always appreciated (I say this a lot, don't I?).**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


	21. Insanity

**A/N: Thanks to all those who put this story on their favorite and/or alert list. Double thanks to those who reviewed. Now then, I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while now.**

**WARNING: There is some profanity in this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot. **

---

"_Betrayal can only happen if you love."_

-John Le Carre

_**12. Insanity **_

He had been gone for 72 hours now. 3 whole days. It wasn't the first time that he had disappeared without a word, but he always came back on the second day. _Always. _He swore that his disappearances were him just doing some investigative work on his own and sometimes he did come back with useful information. Other times he came back with burns or scratches that she treated.

Gwendolyn, having gone by that name since the start of college, looked back up at the clock as if staring at it would bring Kevin home. She hoped he wasn't hurt, that his body wasn't lying in a ditch somewhere. She hoped that he would come home right now and announce that his investigation had taken a little longer than usual this time around. She wanted him to come home, bearing Chinese take-out or pizza so that the two could eat together.

But she knew she was just fooling herself. He wasn't dead, he wasn't taking longer with his 'investigation', and he wasn't going to come home for dinner.

A doorbell caused Gwendolyn to jump in alarm. Maybe he had lost his keys and had tried finding them before giving up and coming home. The thought was shot down as soon as it surfaced. No need for false hopes.

Hurrying over to the door, Gwendolyn opened to see that it was Magister Prior Ghilhil standing there. She wasn't surprised at the visit, just disheartened.

"Come in, Magister." Gwendolyn said respectfully, opening the door fully to allow the Plumber access into the house. "Do you need anything?"

"No." He shook his head as he walked inside. When offered a seat, he shook his head. "I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

She did not want her suspicions to be proven right. She did not want to hear that Kevin's late-night businesses were not private investigations. She did not want her trust to shatter even if she already knew it had.

When she didn't say anything, Magister Ghilhil continued, "A few hours ago, we found Kevin Levin working in a major heist involving level 10 weaponry. Our forces attempted to capture him, but he ran off, leaving two of our men dead." He paused as if expecting her to comment.

Gwendolyn said nothing. Her worst suspicions had been confirmed. Kevin hadn't been doing investigative work. He had been consorting with criminals. The hints he had brought home had just been cover-ups for the real business. Her eyes closed to prevent any tears from leaking forth.

Magister Ghilhil cleared his throat. "Well, I'll be leaving now. They'll need me to organize a team to search for him."

Gwendolyn opened her eyes. "I'll come."

"No." He answered simply.

"I need to. Magister, you can't just leave me behind while other Plumbers go to hunt after him. I won't have him kill any more people when I have a chance to stop him."

Magister Ghilhil watched her outburst with pitying eyes before replying, "This is exactly why we can't let you go. You're too emotionally attached."

"I can't let him run around! Magister, why can't you understand that I need to go? I need to find him and bring him to justice." She lowered her raised voice to murmur, "I need to know why he did it…"

"I can answer that." Gwendolyn looked up at Magister Ghilhil. "I know you want to believe that he changed from his old days, but criminals often fall back into their old ways. He probably met up with an old partner and fell back into trading. One thing led to another and now we have a murderous sociopath on our hands."

Magister Ghilhil's cold explanation sent shivers down Gwendolyn's spine. She shook her head. "He's not a sociopath. Sociopaths don't care about others. He cared…" She trailed off, uncertainty in her voice. Yes, she had never doubted him before, but the horrible idea that what the Magister said was true, that he really hadn't cared for her, scared her.

"Regardless, we need to find him quickly and I will not allow someone emotionally attached to him to come along. It's in the rules."

Gwendolyn looked away. When it came to the rules, Magister Ghilhil stuck by them. Still, she wanted to try at least once more before he rejected her for good. "I can track him for you."

Magister Ghilhil replied in a firm voice, "I can't let you do that. We don't need someone emotionally…"

Gwendolyn cut in, "Emotionally attached. I know." She sighed. "How are you going to find him?"

"We tagged his ship with a homing device." Magister Ghilhil turned towards the door. "Now I must be leaving. I suggest you stay here and…" He paused, uncertain of what to say to comfort her. Finally he settled with, "Stay safe."

"Can you at least call when you catch him?" _If you catch him_, she silently thought.

"You'll receive news." The door closed shut as Magister Ghilhil left.

Gwendolyn made it to her bed, the bed she had shared with him, before collapsing. That night she cried herself to sleep, only to awaken to news that Kevin had evaded capture.

--

An entire year had passed and still Kevin eluded imprisonment. Every week she would click on the TV to see news reports on how much Kevin had stolen or how many people had winded up dead because of Kevin or how much property was damaged by Kevin. Sometimes these reports would just show the damage and other times they would show the criminal behind the works. It was painful seeing him like this, with the same exact features of the man she loved except for his expressions. Those differed from amused to cruel to just plain insane.

Going out in public was just as horrible. People who knew her or knew her past relationship with the felon would throw pitiful looks her way and then whisper a few words to their friends. The past relationship between a no longer ex-con and a hero was the subject of hot gossip. It had even been brought up in some of the trashy tabloids that made their living off stuff like this. Seeing the headlines was bad enough, but the whispers of the people around her were always worse.

Fortunately there were people who did not treat her like a subject for gossip or a person to be pitied. Her family and her friends were there for her. Ben had sworn that he would find Kevin and toss him in the Null Void for the rest of his life. Julie had spent many days comforting her, soothing her. Those had been the first couple of months.

Now they had mellowed out. The comforting had stopped because she didn't need it anymore. She could go through her days, functioning normally without the need for someone to tell her it was okay.

Perhaps the worst thing (other than Kevin being evil, of course) was that Magister Prior Ghilhil still refused to let her go on any missions involving Kevin. She was still too emotionally attached to him, according to the frog-like Plumber.

It was about this that Gwendolyn was confronting him on. "Magister, we need to talk."

She heard him sigh before he turned away from his paperwork to face her. "If this is about joining in with the group to follow up on the hint to a trade Kevin's involved in, you can leave. My answer is still the same."

"Ben's going." Gwendolyn pointed out. While he had been banned the first few times, it had only been a month after Kevin's betrayal when Ben had been allowed to join in.

"Ben did not procreate with Kevin." A blush filled Gwendolyn's cheeks as Magister Ghilhil continued on, "Therefore he is not quite as emotionally attached as you are and will not disrupt the mission."

"You think I'll traipse off with Kevin to have sex?" Gwendolyn asked in disbelief.

"No. The rules state that if a Plumber had a previously intimate relationship with a criminal, that the Plumber is not allowed to go along on any missions involving said criminal until proven that he or she is over the relationship."

"I am over Kevin." The look that Magister Ghilhil shot her clearly showed that he knew it was lie.

"Please, leave. If you would like to go out, you can come along on the investigation of the foreign space craft that's been hiding in the asteroid belt."

Gwendolyn sighed, shoulders sagging. "Fine." Maybe if she went on the investigation, they would deem her stable enough to go after Kevin. After all, they couldn't keep her away forever.

Two nights later, when she came home from her investigation (the space craft was abandoned and all the files encrypted), she found out that the attempt at capturing Kevin had failed once again.

--

It was two years since she had received the news about Kevin's betrayal. The gossip that had been all the rage had quieted down to her relief. Kevin still remained out of the Plumbers' hands, committing whatever murders and thefts he wanted to. Unfortunately Magister Ghilhil still refused to let her go.

"Hey Gwen!" An unpleasant voice caused Gwendolyn to turn around and look at the man who had called her name.

"I go by Gwendolyn now." She replied, eyes skimming over the man. At first she couldn't remember who he was. Black hair cut short, black eyes, tall, thin face; then it hit her. "What do you want, Cash?" It took all her energy to prevent a tired scowl from coming to her face at seeing the old bully.

"I know it's been a long time since we've last seen each other and you don't exactly have pleasant memories of me, but would you like to go on a date Friday night?" When Gwendolyn just stared at him in shock, he added, "It might help if you start dating someone else. Might help you get over it."

Was this really Cash? Making a nice offer of help? Or was he just trying to take advantage of any hurt wounds to get to her? It had been two years, but the pain was still there under the surface. Either way, her answer remained the same.

"I'm sorry Cash, but…" There was really no nice way to reject a date, so she went straight out with it. "No. I don't want to be dating anyone right now." Gwendolyn turned around and took a few steps away when he yelled,

"Fine! I don't even want you!"

She sighed tiredly. A few other times, a guy would ask her out, she would reject him, and he would yell that very statement out. It was a pretty good indicator of who actually cared and who just wanted something (for example, Cooper had given hints that he'd wanted to go out with her, but he had never reacted violently when she had rejected his advances).

But Cash didn't stop there. "I bet the reason you won't go out with me or anyone else is because you're still seeing _him_." She froze in her steps, anger filling her. "You two probably meet all the time in secret to fuck each other." Her shoulders shook with fury, just begging to be released.

She turned around and glared at Cash. He took an uncertain step back at seeing her glowing eyes. In a tight voice, she said, "I haven't seen Kevin in two years. The only reason I would want to see him again is to put him behind bars. Don't talk about things you know nothing about, understood?"

"Yeah, whatever." Cash continued to back up, hands raised defensively.

With that settled, she turned away from him. She didn't cry as she went about her business, walked home, cooked herself dinner, slumped down on to her sofa, and turned on the news.

"27 year-old Cash Langerak," Gwendolyn straightened up on the sofa at the mention of Cash's name, "was murdered this afternoon." A soft gasp escaped her lips. Cash, dead? The same Cash she had seen earlier, the same Cash who had asked her out and then proceeded to insult her? But how… Who would target Cash?

"He was found in the apartment he shares with his friend. The person who found him reported that Cash's body had been brutally mauled. Details on his death will be given later. Nothing was missing from the apartment. Now we'll turn over to John to get the details as he interviews one of the policemen at the scene."

"Thank you, Paul." John replied before turning to the policeman by his side. "So what can you tell us about how the investigation is going?"

"We're dusting the site for fingerprints at the moment. If we find any, we'll be able to identify the murderer."

"Is it true that nothing was stolen?"

"Nothing is missing. There are signs of a struggle, but all the blood belongs to the victim."

"How did he die?"

The policeman didn't reply for a few moments and just as John opened his mouth to repeat the question, he answered, "His body was broken. There weren't any guns or knives used," He shook his head before adding, "The body showed signs of having been electrocuted."

A chill ran down Gwendolyn's side. There was only one person she knew that could electrocute people and use superior strength to kill them. But it wouldn't make sense for him to attack Cash. Cash had never done anything wrong to him, except for the one time with his car and then beating him up with the gauntlet, but that had been several years ago. He wouldn't go back and collect on a grudge from that long ago. She shook the thoughts away. A normal person or alien could easily have gotten a hold of something to electrocute someone.

"Why would anyone do this to Cash? Did he have any enemies?"

"We're not sure, but that's what we're going to find out. We'll be interrogating all his associates for information on what he was doing today and whether or not he had ever made enemies." There was a call from the background. "I've got to go."

Cash was dead. Cash had been brutally murdered on the same day he had asked her out and then said those awful things. Gwendolyn closed her eyes, but she couldn't imagine the scenario. It was just a coincidence. The two incidents did not relate to one another. That's what she kept telling herself, but at the same time, she was planning how to figure this out.

Nowadays she rarely cried, but this night she did cry herself to sleep.

--

It had been three whole years since she had last seen Kevin in person. The police had not been able to figure out the case with Cash. Gwendolyn had tried running her own investigation, but she hadn't been able to locate her prime suspect or figure out for certain whether it was him or not.

She had also started dating again. Jake was a nice guy, completely normal and perfectly okay with the fact that she wasn't completely human. Yes, he was nice and every day Gwendolyn told herself that she loved him. Every day she wondered why those words couldn't be true. If he loved her, why couldn't she love him back? When her thoughts started drifting to Kevin, she would instantly stop herself and say that it just needed time.

Walking through the streets, a familiar figure in a newspaper caught her eye. Gwendolyn paused to look, eyes wide. It was Kevin, but not as the sadistic human she had grown used to seeing in the news. Instead he was a mishmash of alien parts, caught in the camera of some photographer.

Instantly Gwendolyn plunged her hand into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, what's up?" Ben's voice trickled through the other side of the phone.

"Why didn't you tell me that Kevin mutated again?" Gwendolyn asked, her voice becoming accusing.

There was a pause on the other line before Ben replied, "I'm sorry. It just happened last night. We were fighting and he absorbed the Omnitrix's energy."

Gwendolyn processed the words quickly. "He just absorbed it? Willingly?"

"Yeah." Ben's voice was grim.

She shut her eyes briefly. He had truly changed if he was willing to become a monster to gain power. Her eyes opened and she stared ahead determinedly. "Ben, I know you've already tried, but you have to get Magister Ghilhil to let me go. I want to help."

"I'll do my best."

"Thanks." Gwendolyn sighed. "And I'm sorry for accusing you. I know you would've told me once you rested up."

"No problem. Well, I better get to work on Magister Ghilhil. Bye."

"Bye." Gwendolyn snapped the phone shut. She could only hope that they would let her go. It wouldn't make sense for them to hold her back especially if Kevin had gained more power now.

In the end, they did let her go. And it ended in failure. Upon arriving at the sight of the illegal trade, Kevin had disappeared. At least they had managed to bust the participants in the trade though the dealer was long-gone, if the criminals' words were to be taken.

Still, it was a start.

--

4 years had passed and it seemed as if Kevin had disappeared into the air. He wasn't present for any of the weaponry deals that the Plumbers busted and he wasn't murdering anymore people. It was as if he had just vanished into the deep depths of space. No one could guess as to why he had done so or whether or not he would be back (Gwendolyn thought he would).

Time had not made her love Jake. Yes, she liked him a lot. Yes, she thought he was nice. Yes, she thought he was good-looking. But she couldn't make herself love him. It was impossible and time had only made her realize that. Still, he was nice and she had fun with him. It wasn't love, but at least it wasn't a horrible relationship. At least people had stopped asking her if she still liked Kevin.

Today Gwendolyn had gone with Alan and another Plumber to check out some reported suspicious activity a few miles north of Bellwood. The plan was simple and it would've been just another mission if it hadn't been for him. If they had knew they would be facing him, Ben would've come along. Instead he was tending his sick wife.

Alan pulled the brake on their van, stopping an abandoned factory. Old crates were stacked precariously around the open yard of the factory. Their dirty surroundings did not catch Gwendolyn's eye because there was something else here. Or better said someone.

A small gasp escaped her as she stared at the large amalgamated creature. She felt her body go still, memories and emotions rushing to push at her. He turned his head away from the deal he had procuring to look at her and the two other Plumbers with her.

A wicked smile crossed his face. "Well, well, well, look who we have here." His voice was deeper than she remembered, morphed by his transformation, but it was still recognizable.

Alan's jaw tightened. "So you finally decided to come back." Flames coated him, turning him into his Pyronite form. "This time we're sending you to the Null Void."

"But we haven't even had a chance to chat yet." With a lightning speed rivaling XLR8's, Kevin moved forwards and hit Alan. The half-Pyronite slammed into the van they had used to get here, grunting at the impact.

Kevin turned his head to look at the other two Plumbers. He opened his mouth, letting out a sonic scream to knock the Plumber down. As he turned around towards her, Gwendolyn broke out of her paralysis and shot a burst of mana at his head.

Kevin's head snapped back. He growled before turning to face her. "Is that any way to treat your boyfriend? You know I've missed you."

Gwendolyn's eyes glowed magenta as she summoned up more mana. "You're not my boyfriend. You gave that up when you became a criminal again." She shot the mana towards him, but this time he dodged it with his XLR8 speed.

He stopped in front of her and Gwendolyn was forced to crane her head to see his leering face. "We haven't seen each in other for such a long time and when we finally meet again, the first thing I get is a mouthful of mana. Don't you have a better way to greet me? A hello, a how have you been Kevin, a kiss?"

Gwendolyn formed a fist out of her mana and used it to slam Kevin a few feet back. He didn't look phased by the attack, just offering her a smile. "What, too angry to speak to me?"

"How'd you ever guess?" Her voice tilted towards sarcasm before she followed in a serious tone. "You betrayed the Plumbers. You betrayed Ben and you betrayed me. How do you think I feel?" She shot more mana towards him, which he dodged.

"Obviously not heartbroken enough to stay away from dating other guys." If she had been paying more attention to him, she would've noticed the jealous note in his voice.

"Jake's got nothing to do with this." Gwendolyn hissed. She glanced briefly at her two allies. Both were occupied with the other aliens Kevin had been in the company of, which meant that she would have to handle Kevin alone. "Kevin, why'd you do it?"

But Kevin ignored her question, choosing to delve more into her personal life. "Do you love him?"

"I said he's got nothing to do with this." Gwendolyn replied before repeating her question, "Why did you go back to being a criminal?"

"You don't love him." A wide smile spread over his Pyronite-like face. "That's why you won't answer me. He loves you, but you can't make yourself love him, can you? Too hung over by someone else?"

It was so accurate a reading that Gwendolyn was left momentarily stunned. Then anger filled her. "I told you my personal life is none of your business!" For the moment, her desire to know why Kevin had started illegal trading again (and murdering and stealing and all that other stuff from his past) was replaced by a desire to place shackles on his wrists and send him deep into the Null Void.

Kevin smirked. "So who do you love so much that you can't return Jake's love? Could it be a certain…?"

Kevin's words were cut off by a large blast from the side. It sent his large body flying into crates, which proceeded to collapse on top of his massive form. Gwendolyn looked to the side to see that her other human partner had succeeded in wrestling away the aliens and had been the shooter. She shot him a smile before turning to look towards the jumble of crates.

"We have to get going." Gwendolyn turned to look at Alan, opening her mouth to complain. "No, look, we can't take Kevin down without Ben here."

Gwendolyn glanced over at the trembling pile. She figured they had a few seconds before Kevin burst out and decided to take his revenge. Her gaze slipped to her teammates. While she would've liked to stay and fight Kevin, she didn't want to risk their lives. And they wouldn't leave without her.

"Fine, let's go." Gwendolyn ran towards the van, slipping into the back along with the other Plumber. Alan took the wheel and immediately gunned the engine.

Gwendolyn looked backwards to see that Kevin had burst out from under the crates. He stared angrily after them, but to her surprise, he didn't pursue. Instead he just smiled cruelly, raised a hand as if to bid farewell, and disappeared into the shadows.

She had a feeling this would not be their last encounter.

---

**A/N: Alright, this is getting long and I've still got a few scenes left to go… Which is why I've decided to split it into two parts. This is the end of part 1 and the next oneshot I post will be the conclusion.**

**If I didn't get Cash's last name, I'm sorry. I tried finding it, but I couldn't, so I made it up. If someone knows his real last name, please let me know. His offer to help Gwen out by dating her was a sincere offer because I figured that he would've grown some heart since high school. However, when she rejected it, I figured he would resume a jerky manner to hide his hurt. His death will come up again in the next update, so don't think it's just a random death I slipped in. **

**Titled Insanity for obvious reasons… Reviews are always loved as are alerts and favorites.**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	22. Break Away

**A/N: Here is part 2 for the previous oneshot. Thank you for everyone for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this as much as you enjoyed the previous one. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot. **

---

_"Sometimes you just look at someone and think…_

_Should you love them for who they were,_

_Hate them for who they are now, or..._

_Feel sorry for them because they had to change."_

-Anonymous

_**6. Break Away **_

Five years had gone by and while she had seen Kevin plenty of times while on missions, she had never actually been around long enough to have a conversation. There had been no times to ask him why he had turned evil or why he had chosen to become a monster once more.

"I'll be home in a bit." Gwendolyn told Jake over the phone.

"On time?" He asked, voice momentarily become vulnerable. Both of them knew that she was often late for dates because of urgent Plumber business. Sometimes she had to skip altogether. He understood, but she could see the hurt that it caused him.

"Tonight is just you and me." She promised. "See you."

After slipping her cell phone back into her pocket, Gwendolyn began the walk home from the Plumber's office. It was a mildly chilly evening, so most people were already hidden away in their warm homes. This left the sidewalks to Gwendolyn and the occasional pedestrian hurrying past.

Breathing in the crisp air, Gwendolyn thought about her relationship with Jake. She was content with the relationship. Yes, content was the right word. Not 'madly in love', not 'swooning over one another', just content and happy with it.

A crash from the alleyway snapped Gwendolyn back to her surroundings. Quickly she whirled around, mana forming in her hands in readiness to deal with the threat.

"That'll teach you to try ripping me off." A voice snarled.

_Kevin. _She instantly thought. A second later, Kevin in his mutant form walked out from the shadows. He was glaring at the alien he had thrown into a trash can, whom Gwendolyn recognized as Argit.

"Hey buddy, pal, I wasn't trying to rip you off. I was just making the most of the situation." Argit spoke rapidly, his arms raised in self-defense. "You understand that, don't you?"

Kevin's eyes gleamed. "Of course I understand that." Argit relaxed and picked himself up from the ground. "But that doesn't mean I like having others cheat me." He raised his fiery arm and blasted fire to incinerate Argit.

Except Argit did not become a smoking carcass. When the rat-like alien opened his eyes, he noticed that a pink mana shield had formed around him. A sigh of relief escaped Argit.

Kevin's eyes narrowed as he noticed that Argit was completely unharmed before lifting to look at Gwendolyn. "You should've let me roast the rat."

"I don't let people die." Gwendolyn answered coldly.

Argit chuckled, "I'd love to stay, but…" He scampered off quickly, sneaking glances every few steps to make sure no one was on his tail. To his relief, neither of them followed him.

"You let him get away." Kevin noted angrily.

"You could've chased after him." Truthfully, Gwendolyn would've chased after Argit to get him locked away, but she didn't want to allow Kevin to escape. Maybe this time she could actually capture him.

"True… But then I wouldn't have your charming company to chat with."

"I'm not here to talk, Kevin." Gwendolyn summoned up more mana and readied it for blasting at him.

Kevin smiled, almost pitifully. "Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable if I wasn't so monstrous." In a flash, Kevin's alien features retracted and he was left standing with a smirk on a very human face.

The mana disappeared as Gwendolyn gaped at him. "How did you do that? You couldn't turn human before."

He smirked; proud to have taken her off-guard. "I'm much better at manipulating my powers than I was before. It's rather useful. I can be a monster when I need to terrify people and I can be human when dealing in... less violent settings."

Gwendolyn glared at him and snapped, "You're a monster in either form." There was just something about being near him that made her angry. Maybe it was because the feelings of betrayal always bubbled up, maybe it was his infuriating cockiness.

"Maybe," Kevin shrugged nonchalantly. "Now how 'bout we talk."

In response, Gwendolyn fired off a volley of mana at him. However, he was gone with his XLR8 speed before the shots even got close to hitting him.

"You're so predictable, Gwendolyn." Kevin whispered into her ear from behind. "Do you want to know who killed Cash? I did. I heard what he said to you and…"

Gwendolyn slammed her arm backwards in an attempt to elbow his stomach, but he was already gone. Once again, he was standing a few feet in front of her.

"You've been following me." Gwendolyn stated, feeling a chill rise up her spine.

Kevin smirked. "I wanted to keep tabs on you. See what you were getting up to… And besides, I missed you."

"You're lying." A fist of mana formed in front of her and slammed towards Kevin. Once again, he dodged, disappearing into the shadows of the alleyway.

"Of course I missed you. Haven't you missed me?"

"I miss the old you. Now come out and fight." Her eyes skimmed her surroundings for any sign of the man. Cautiously she took several steps into the alleyway.

"Wouldn't it be more interesting if we did something else instead?" Kevin taunted from his hiding place in the shadows. "We could talk, have some fun…" His voice trailed off suggestively.

Gwendolyn raised a glowing sphere of mana to illuminate the area. "Or I can slap some handcuffs on you and we can head back to the Plumber's base." Her mana revealed Kevin from where he had been hiding in the shadows.

"An excellent suggestion, but not one I'd want to participate in. The Null Void isn't really my choice for a good travel location."

"It's not your choice to make." Gwendolyn muttered before firing some mana at him. However, this time she also quickly formed two solid beams of mana on either side of him. When Kevin moved, he ended up tripping over one of the beams.

Chuckling, Kevin muttered, "I forgot how smart you could be."

Before Kevin could rise, Gwendolyn fired mana blast after mana blast at him. The repetitive blasts kicked up a dust cloud that obscured Gwendolyn's vision of Kevin. When the dust cleared, Kevin was gone.

Suddenly his arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her into a tight embrace. He murmured, "I love you." Before she could hit him, he released her and ran off into the night.

Gwendolyn, still shocked over the encounter, looked around, almost expecting him to reappear. But he didn't. For now, Kevin was gone. His words and the tone he had addressed her with echoed through her mind as she began walking home.

Upon arriving home with the encounter still fresh in her mind, she found Jake reclining in the entry hall. His eyes told her everything, reminding her of the promise she had made over the phone.

Immediately Gwendolyn burst into rapid apology. "I'm so sorry, Jake. I was walking straight home and I told the Plumbers not to disturb me when I heard some crashes in an alley. I couldn't let it go without checking it out."

Jake's lips were pressed together tightly, but he nodded. "Did you get the criminal?"

Gwendolyn sighed, "He got away…"

Seeing the despair on her face, Jake's impatience fell apart and he approached her with compassion on his face. "Hey, it's okay. You'll get him next time." Silently Gwendolyn thanked Jake for understanding. And for not asking who it had been.

"Thanks Jake." She accepted his hug, borrowing her face into his shoulder. Quietly she reminded herself that this was the man she was with now and that he was the one who truly loved her.

"Come on, I'll go heat up dinner. We can still have a special night."

The rest of the evening proceeded perfectly though Kevin's final words still echoed in her mind. It wasn't just that he had said those words. No, that hadn't really struck her. The thing that had struck her was his tone. It had been lucid unlike the rest of his words. It had sounded just like the old Kevin before he had betrayed them.

--

A criminal had to be really good to avoid capture for six years. Kevin was that good. Since that night when he had told her he loved her, Gwendolyn had never encountered him alone again. She had fought with him plenty of times with other Plumbers, but never one-on-one like in the alleyway though she could hardly consider it a fight.

It wasn't until today that she faced him one-on-one again.

It started out like any regular mission. Ben, Gwendolyn, and two other Plumbers had gone to stop a dangerous deal involving the dealership of weapons and the torture of prisoners whom the weapons were being tested on. Kevin had been there in his mutant form, directing things. Along with Kevin, there was a score of other aliens, way more than had been expected.

"I'll take Kevin." Ben quickly instructed. "The rest of you hold off the other aliens."

With that, he turned into Humongousaur. He grew to his maximum height and charged towards Kevin. There weren't many aliens who would get in the way of a charging Vaxasaurian. Unfortunately, a rough-looking Tetramand tackled Humongousaur from the side, sending them both to the ground.

Kevin smirked and spread his wings. Gwendolyn watched him, knowing that he would take his leave while Ben was distracted with the Tetramand. She couldn't just let him go.

Gwendolyn ran back to the van they had used to get here. Quickly she withdrew a hoverboard from the back and jumped on it. She could still see Kevin as he flew off. Gwendolyn pursued him.

Kevin cast a glance back at her, smirking. A chill ran down Gwendolyn's spine. Despite the fact that she was chasing him, that smirk had made her feel as if she was the prey in this situation. Gwendolyn shook the thought off, firing mana at him.

Her shots hit him, causing him to stagger. Gwendolyn allowed herself a smirk before firing more mana at his wings. Once again, she got a direct hit. This time, Kevin dropped a few feet before catching himself. He shot another glance back at her, no longer smirking.

Gwendolyn called after him. "Surrender or I'll blast you out of the sky."

"Not likely." Kevin responded.

When Gwendolyn fired mana at him, he dove down to dodge the mana. A large ball of mana formed in her hands, which she slammed towards him with all her energy. The mana hit his back directly, causing him to roar in pain. He began to spiral towards the ground. Gwendolyn didn't have time to celebrate her victory before one of his tentacles shot out and wrapped around her waist.

The two of them fell together to the ground. Gwendolyn braced herself for impact, mildly surprised that he hadn't flung her at the ground to smash her body against the rocks below. His body hit the ground with a large thump. The impact caused him to release Gwendolyn who fell to the ground from a relatively low distance.

Picking herself up, Gwendolyn approached Kevin with caution. He was breathing raggedly, each breath seemingly taking up a lot of effort. The mana that had formed in her hands dissipated as her eyes slid over him.

"Kevin…." Gwendolyn murmured softly. This was the closest anyone had ever gotten to capturing Kevin. All she had to do was bind him until the others arrived to help her take him back to the base. Regardless of everything, she still felt concern for him.

Her voice caused Kevin to open one of his eyes to watch her. "You got me." He stated before closing his eye again.

Gwendolyn didn't smile. "Yeah I did. Can you turn human?" It would be easier to transport him if he was human. That and talking to his mutated form unnerved her. It would be simpler to question him if he was human.

She was surprised when his form did shrink down, so that he was human again. Truthfully, Gwendolyn had just been waiting for him to pull a trick, to say that he really wasn't that badly hurt and that he was just a good actor. She wouldn't have put it past him to do something like that. But here he was, battered and bloody and not going anywhere.

"You're not going to try and run off?" Gwendolyn asked, curious at his lack of action.

Kevin opened his eyes to regard her. "Do you want me to?"

"Of course not." Gwendolyn glanced back in the direction they had come from. There was still no sight of the others, but she figured it would only be a matter of time before one of them came. When she looked back at him, he was shifting himself into a sitting position. "Stay down."

"What? You think I'll be threatening if I sit up?" Kevin smirked at her before a wince of pain crossed his face. Gwendolyn watched him cautiously before relaxing when he made no moves to go any further than a sitting position.

An awkward silence broke out upon them until Kevin broke it by saying, "You know I was serious when I told you I still loved you."

Gwendolyn glared at him. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't have betrayed us."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "You don't even know why I went back to doing crime."

"Okay, so why did you decide to betray us like that?" As much as Gwendolyn had always wanted to know the answers, there was a part of her that was afraid of this conversation. She didn't like the calmness in Kevin's voice. Fervently she hoped someone would come soon.

"I ran into some old partners. They told me if I didn't help them out, they would kill me. And then they would hunt you down to kill you." Kevin paused.

"So you went along with it? But why'd you keep doing it?" Tears were threatening to fall from Gwendolyn's eyes, but she kept them at bay.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Kevin sighed. "Crime sucks you in. They wanted me to do more deals, more heists. The more I did, the more I enjoyed it. Eventually I knew that if I stopped, they would tell someone and I'd end up in trouble. I didn't want that. It was easier just to turn evil."

"Easier for you." Gwendolyn scowled at him. "Can't you think about anyone but yourself?"

Kevin glared at her. "It's not like I was happy to betray you or any of the others. I…" His voice trailed off.

"You couldn't help it. I get it." Gwendolyn crossed her arms. She wanted to turn away from him, but she knew that turning away would be the worst thing to do at the moment. It would give him a chance to strike or to run. She couldn't risk it.

When Kevin opened his mouth to say more, Gwendolyn promptly cut him off. "No, I don't want to hear any apologies or explanations. You could've admitted your crime the first time around and you could've gotten off easily. I would've been hurt, but I would've understood. It's too late now."

"Too late for a second chance?" Kevin asked.

Gwendolyn froze. As much as her heart wanted to give him a second chance, she knew that it was a fool's choice. He would just ruin things again. Going through the heartache once was more than enough. She didn't want to risk a second time.

"You should've asked earlier." Gwendolyn informed him, doing her best to keep her voice from showing how much she wished that he could have another chance. "You're going to be imprisoned for life after all you've done."

"Gwendolyn…"

"Shut up!" Gwendolyn snapped at him. She couldn't handle his vulnerability. It was making her heart crack all over again and she didn't like it.

"But I want to say I'm-"

Kevin was cut off by the sound of an engine running. Instantly Gwendolyn wrapped mana around Kevin to cut off any chance of escape. He stood up, but that was the only movement he did. Gwendolyn was surprised by how calmly he stood there.

The van pulled up to them and Ben came out. He stared wide-eyed at Kevin before looking over at Gwendolyn. "You got him?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak after the conversation she had had with Kevin. Ben gestured for one of the other Plumbers to get the energy cuffs they kept in the van.

"No funny moves," he told Kevin sharply.

Kevin smirked, replying in a derisive tone, "Whatever you say, Benji."

Ben glared at him, but didn't respond. As the Plumber attached the energy cuffs to Kevin, Ben began questioning Gwendolyn, "How'd you catch him?"

"I hit him out of the sky and he fell. The fall must've hurt him since he didn't try running." Gwendolyn quickly said, neglecting the details of the encounter.

Ben nodded his head. "Nice job." He turned towards one of the Plumbers. "Call ahead to the base and tell them we've got Kevin." The Plumber nodded and went off to follow Ben's orders. He smiled grimly at Gwendolyn. "Come on. We better get going."

Kevin was put in the back of the van, in the prisoner's cell. He didn't struggle at all though he made multiple snarky comments. No difficulty arose from transporting him and they all arrived at the base. Kevin was instantly taken away to the high-security cell that he would stay in until the upper-level Plumbers decided what to do with him. A doctor was sent to examine Kevin.

In the end, the choice was clear. Kevin would be sent to the Null Void for the rest of his life. While they got the Null Void Generator ready, any visitors with high enough clearance were allowed to go and speak to Kevin.

After Ben had taken his turn, he approached Gwendolyn at her place on a balcony. "You can go talk to Kevin now."

Gwendolyn's lips pressed together tightly as she stared at the setting sun. "I already talked to him back when I was waiting for you guys to show up." She didn't want to listen to him again. It was just too painful.

"Okay." Ben nodded his head in understanding. "The doctor's reports came back. I still don't see how you managed to keep him from escaping."

"Why?" Gwendolyn asked curiously. "What'd the doctor report?"

"He's not that badly hurt. Normal people wouldn't have been able to run away after that fall, but Kevin's mutant body protected him fairly well. Plus, he's got a high threshold for pain. If he had wanted to, he could've run off."

Gwendolyn froze, thinking back to the conversation. "Maybe he was still in shock from the fall. Or maybe he didn't think he could get away fast enough before I hit him down again."

Ben stared at Gwendolyn, shrugging. "Maybe." His tone led her to believe that he had a different theory, but she didn't question him.

Because she had the same theory. Could he have stayed around because he actually wanted a second chance? Because he wanted to show her that he was ready to change once more? Gwendolyn wanted to believe it even if it didn't matter anymore. He was going to the Null Void and she would never see him again. That was that.

--

It had been a year since Gwendolyn had last seen Kevin. He was still in the Null Void like he was supposed to be. The old saying, out of sight out of mind, was a lie. Kevin may have faded away from the news, but Gwendolyn still thought about him constantly.

Ever since that last conversation with him, it had been increasingly harder to be in a relationship with Jake. Her mind would sometimes play make-believe and pretend that Jake was Kevin. It was unbearable, but Gwendolyn couldn't tell Jake. It turned out that she didn't need to.

One night, she was lying awake in bed. As usual, her thoughts were haunted by Kevin's last few words and the revelation that he hadn't been as injured as he had pretended to be.

"Gwendolyn, can I ask you something?" Gwendolyn was surprised to hear Jake. She had thought that he was already asleep.

Turning to him, Gwendolyn replied. "What do you want to ask?"

Jake took a deep breath. "Do you love me?" When all Gwendolyn did was stare at him in shock, Jake continued. "You've been distant for a long time now... Do you really love me?"

She couldn't lie to him, not with how nice Jake was about it. She couldn't lie when he looked this vulnerable and weak. "No…" Gwendolyn watched his face for any sign of anger, but he just looked sad.

He sighed. "Is there someone else?"

"I'm not cheating-"

He interrupted, "That's not what I meant. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. What I want to know is if there's anyone else on your mind…"

It was Gwendolyn's turn to sigh. "…Yes." Jake watched her sadly, waiting for her to elaborate. "It doesn't matter anyway. He's gone forever."

"But you still miss him." Gwendolyn nodded. Jake paused and added in a pained voice, "It's Kevin, isn't it?"

Gwendolyn shifted uncomfortably in the bed. She didn't want to talk about Kevin with anyone, let alone her boyfriend. Finally she admitted, "Yes. Like I said, it doesn't matter. He betrayed everyone and he's in the Null Void."

Jake's eyes stared at her with a burning anger. It surprised Gwendolyn even if his words proved that he wasn't angry at her. "He should've realized what he had. He was wrong to betray you and everyone else."

"I think…" Gwendolyn paused, thinking about the encounter from the year before. "Last year when I caught him, I think he was trying to say he was sorry. He asked for a second chance, but I told him it was too late." He watched her sadly, the anger leaving his eyes.

"Would you give him a second chance if he ever came back?" Jake asked.

"…I don't know." Gwendolyn sighed. A silence fell upon them, each left to their own thoughts.

"You know why I haven't proposed yet?" Gwendolyn blinked in surprise at Jake. She had always thought it was odd that he hadn't proposed, but she had never brought up the issue. "I've always suspected that you didn't really love me, but I was too scared to ask about it. I was afraid you would say no because you were waiting for someone else."

"Jake… If you did propose, I wouldn't say no."

He looked at her in surprise. "But you don't love me."

"You're a good guy, Jake. You're nice and I'm not going to find anyone better." The words were hard to admit, but Gwendolyn knew they were true. Maybe she didn't love him, but who else would be as nice as he had been? He could never take Kevin's place in her heart, but life was good with Jake.

To her surprise, he answered, "No."

She blinked at him. "Why not?"

"I don't want you to be stuck in a loveless marriage." As Gwendolyn opened her mouth to complain, he cut her off. "Look, maybe Kevin will come back someday and he'll be different. Maybe you'll want to give him that second chance and I don't want to drag you down. I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden."

"Not yet." Jake smiled at her though the smile didn't meet his tired eyes. "I'll stay with you for the rest of my life, but if he ever comes back and you want to go to him, I don't want to stop you."

His thoughtfulness brought tears to Gwendolyn's eyes. She pulled herself closer to him, embracing him. "I don't think he'll ever come back, but thank you. You're the best."

Jake smiled sadly down at her. "Yeah. Good night, Gwendolyn."

As she fell asleep, Gwendolyn wondered how she had ever been lucky enough to find someone so nice. So willing to let her go if it meant her own happiness. Even if she thought he would never have to let her go, it was still one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her.

--

It had been eight whole years since Kevin had turned evil. To her knowledge, he was still fighting in the Null Void. Either that or he was dead in the Null Void. Things with Jake were good even if some people wondered why the two hadn't gotten married yet. Gwendolyn had brought it up a few times, but Jake had always answered with a reminder that he wasn't going to become a burden.

Then the letter arrived. It was written on regular paper, which surprised her since most letters these days used holographic projectors. The envelope was blank. Gwendolyn wondered who it could be from before opening it. In messy handwriting, the letter read,

_Gwendolyn, _

_I got out. I know I should've stayed in there, but I hate it there. I wanted to come home and when the chance opened up, I took it. Don't worry, I'm not out to do more crime. I've been thinking a lot and I'm tired of doing crime. You can ask the native farmers in the Null Void. I actually protected them a few times in exchange for food and shelter. I've given up crime forever. _

_Now I want to know. Would you give me a second chance? The last time I asked, you refused. Maybe I don't deserve a second chance, but I'm asking you to give me one anyway. I'll stay good, I promise._

_If you want to contact me, just write a letter and leave it in your mail-box. I'll come by and get it. Consider it before you go and report me._

_Even if you do report me to the Plumbers, I'll always love you. _

The letter was left unsigned, but Gwendolyn knew there was only one person who it could be. She re-read the letter again before taking a pen and a piece of paper. She began to write.

---

**A/N: The End. I thought this was a good spot to end off. I really wanted a happy ending, but I also wanted an ending that wasn't clear-cut happily ever after. That's why I chose to end it this way. Overall, I really enjoyed writing this two-shot (is that what you call an oneshot with two parts?). I've discovered that writing Evil!Kevin is a lot of fun. Maybe I'll do some more Evil!Kevin if the idea comes. The title refers to Kevin breaking away from his evil ways to ask for a second chance. **

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


	23. No Way Out

**A/N: After watching 'Vendetta' (which was amazing), this idea drifted into my head. It's Gwevin and despite being an aftermath to the episode, it's nowhere near as dark. If anyone's curious, the diner in this oneshot is based off a diner I used to go to all the time though I haven't been there in a while. The name of the diner was altered. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I also don't own Coke or Mel's. I do own this oneshot. **

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"We find what we expect to find and we receive what we ask for."

-Elbert Hubbard

_**59. No Way Out**_

"We're here." Kevin's voice interrupted the uncomfortable silence that had grown between the two since they had left Gwen's house.

"I noticed." Gwen smiled at him, but he was already halfway out of the car. She sighed, hoped that things wouldn't be awkward for the entire dinner, and then followed after Kevin.

They approached a small diner. The name of the diner, The Original Melvin's, was illuminated in cursive letters that glowed neon pink in the falling darkness. The interior of the diner was brightly lit, turning it into a beacon of light.

Kevin opened the door for her, eliciting an automatic "Thank you" from the girl. There was no returning answer from him as they stepped into the diner. Light jazz was playing in the background from an old-fashioned jukebox.

A cheerful waitress greeted them and escorted them to a booth with red vinyl seats. She handed them each a menu before heading off to treat other customers.

Gwen stared at the menu without really looking at the words. Tonight was supposed to be about having a good time with one another. Instead they were sitting across from each other, not making eye contact or speaking. And it was all because of the elephant in the room. She had asked him out to a public place to avoid it, but it seemed to be hunting after them.

"Would you like to order now?" The waitress was back several minutes later, pen poised to jot down their orders.

"I'll take a Coke and a Melvin burger with fries." Kevin ordered first.

The waitress jot down the order quickly before turning to look at Gwen. "What would you like, miss?"

Gwen blinked. With her thoughts occupied on the proverbial elephant, she hadn't had time to decide what to eat. To save herself the embarrassment, she quickly responded, "I'll take the same thing."

"That's cute. Ordering the same thing as each other." The waitress noted before taking their menus and departing. The comment made Gwen blush and she wished that she had taken the time to order something different.

Now with the menu gone, there really was no excuse not to look at one another. Still, Gwen kept her eyes firmly placed a few inches to Kevin's right side. Time seemed to have slowed down as they sat awkwardly. Finally she snuck a glance at him, jumping when she saw that he was staring at her.

He smirked. "What? Forgot I was here?"

"No, it's just… nothing." Gwen did not want to bring it up, not right now while they were sitting at a diner with other people around them. Then again, she had avoided talking about it on the ride over and there had been _no _other people there. _Face it, you just don't want to hear a confirmation of what you know. _A voice in the back of her head spoke to her.

"Damn it!" Some people sitting nearby cast glances their way before resuming their own dinners, whispering something about arguing couples. Kevin leaned closer to Gwen and rapidly began to speak, "We're supposed to be having a good time together, but instead we're avoiding talking to each other. Just-"

"Your drinks are here," interrupted the waitress. Kevin promptly shut up and leaned back. The waitress placed two glasses of Coke on to the table along with two closed straws before hurrying off.

Gwen watched her go, pulling her drink closer to herself and ripping open the packaging of the straw. She took a sip and waited for Kevin to continue.

"Look, I'm just saying that you should say whatever you want to say about it and then we can have a good time like we're supposed to."

Gwen looked at Kevin with interest. Was he really giving her permission to ask the question that had been haunting her mind, even if she knew the answer? He was staring back at her intently, his straw still lying untouched in its packaging.

"Did you kill Ragnarok?" It was surprising what a relief it was to get the question off her mind. Now instead of lurking through her mind, it hung in the air between them.

"Yeah, I let him die." Now it was Kevin's turn to stare away from her, his eyes fixated on his glass of Coke. He tore out his straw and slipped it into the soda, instantly gulping some down.

Gwen got ready to burst into a lecture on how good guys didn't let villains die, even if the villain in question had murdered a loved one, but… Kevin was right; tonight was supposed to be about fun, not dealing with the consequences of the boy's actions. Tomorrow was another day and they could always talk about it then.

"Okay." Gwen said calmly. Kevin glanced up from his drink. She smiled at him to show that she wouldn't be hounding him about it. "We can talk about it later. Let's just focus on each other for now." Kevin smiled back at her.

Despite the fact that they would have a lengthy conversation about Ragnarok the next day, the remainder of the date had easygoing conversation, with burgers every bit as greasy and delicious as expected and a kiss to end the night.

---

**A/N: 'No Way Out' as in Gwen had to ask the question at some point. There's no way out of it. I liked it though I hope that the ending wasn't too sappy. Expect the next oneshot to either be about Benlie or Mytrax (it's a strange pairing, but I like it) though neither one will be for a while. I've got another fanfiction that's been rather neglected lately as well as some original writing.**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	24. Sport

**A/N: I said I was going to do a Benlie and I did! To keep things simple, this is before Ben gets the Ultimatrix. I've never played tennis anywhere but on my Wii and some uncompetitive tennis with my friends, so excuse any inaccuracies. For those of you who don't know any tennis, a match consists of 3 or 5 sets with the server alternating every set. The points go from 0-3 and are called love, fifteen, thirty, and forty respectively. That's all you'll need to know to understand tennis in this oneshot. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot. **

---

"I have always considered tennis as a combat in an arena between two gladiators who have their racquets and their courage as weapons."

-Yannick Noah

_**51. Sport**_

It was the start of her fifth set. Currently her opponent was tied with her, but this set would break that. This last set would determine the winner and she was determined to end up as number one.

As Julie stepped on to the court, racquet in hand, she sent a quick glance over at the bleachers. There were various faces from her school, but the one she had been hoping to see was absent. His regular place in the stands was taken up by some laughing sophomores.

Julie sighed. Ben was probably busy with alien business, which was why he wasn't here to cheer her on. She was used to it, but this was the Championships. And as much as Julie understood that Ben had Plumber business to attend to, she wished that he was here instead. They always made it a point to go to one another's games, but aliens always seemed to find a way to interrupt.

_Well, I can't think about him right now. I have a match to win. _Julie shook her thoughts of Ben off her mind. There was nothing she could to do about it. Later she could always tell Ben how it went and it would be much better to tell him that she had won.

With that reassuring thought, Julie tossed the ball up into the air and slammed it to the other side of the court. The final set had begun.

As the ball flew from side to side, Julie found her mind completely consumed by the task at hand. Each bounce of the ball, each flick of her wrist, everything was taken in with a crystal clarity that wasn't muddled with thoughts of her boyfriend. It was one of the refreshing aspects of a sport; the fact that everything else just drifted away from the mind.

Finally the other player made a miscalculation and missed the ball. It bounced to the end of the court where her opponent proceeded to pick it up to toss back to her.

"Fifteen-love." The umpire announced.

Julie allowed herself a small smile before serving the ball again. And so the set continued.

That is until a large blue moth came smashing down into the middle of the net. The match was quickly forgotten as spectators and players alike screamed in terror and made their way away from the crash site.

"Be – Big Chill!" Julie yelled, catching herself before she could say her boyfriend's name. Truly there was no need to since the court was already almost empty of people.

She raised her eyes to search the sky for whatever had blasted Ben. She spotted the perpetrator, a robot drone. Its eyes were still smoking from the laser blast that it had hit Big Chill with. As she watched, the robot flew closer.

Big Chill stood up, turning intangible to free himself from the net. He looked around, noting the abandoned tennis court and Julie before looking back at the hovering alien.

"Julie, get out of here. It's dangerous." Big Chill hissed at her. If there hadn't been a robot to face, he would've taken time to apologize for interrupting her match even though it hadn't exactly been his fault.

"Be careful Ben." Julie hurried over to hide behind some bleachers. Without Ship, there was nothing she could do to aid Ben in his aerial battle, but she couldn't bring herself to leave him completely alone. At least she could watch from here and if worst came to worst, make a quick phone call to Gwen and Kevin.

"Surrender the Omnitrix." The robot droned.

"I don't really like that option. How about you just chill out?"

From her hiding spot, Julie watched as Big Chill blew icy air towards the robot. The robot raised its claw-like hands just in time to block the icy attack. He rotated his wrists, shattering the ice that had formed around them.

"Surrender the Omnitrix." The robot repeated. Whoever had sent the robot had clearly not thought about installing a more complex speech center.

With that cheering message, the robot fired a laser from its eyes. Big Chill sank into the ground to avoid it, leaving the laser to wreck havoc upon the tennis court. When the robot realized that his prey was gone, its laser fire came to a halt. Just as its head began to swivel around to search the area, Big Chill reappeared behind the alien.

"Let's see how you like it cold."

The robot had no chance to respond as Big Chill flew through it multiple times. The frozen robot fell towards the ground where it shattered into various pieces. Big Chill landed on the ground and turned back into Ben.

Julie ran towards him, coming to a halt beside the boy. Before she could say anything, Ben sent her a half-smile and said, "I'm sorry for interrupting your match."

She looked around, taking in the broken net and the scorched ground of the court. Everyone was gone and there was no sign that the match had been going on besides the score board and someone's abandoned bag of peanuts.

Julie smiled. "It wasn't your fault, Ben. You didn't do anything. He did." Julie gestured down at the chunks of metal strewn across the ground. The ice still clung desperately to the metal, but it was beginning to melt from the afternoon sun.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ben frowned. "Sorry that I couldn't get to the match. Some robots attacked me on the way over. I got rid of most of them easily, but this one was a bit harder."

"Ben, it's fine. I know you're busy fighting aliens." Julie looked down at the scrap metal. "Do you know who sent them?"

Ben shrugged. "No clue."

"Then I guess you'll have to go and find out." As much as she wanted to spend some time with Ben, figuring out the villain behind this was more important. They could spend some time together once he got his answers.

Ben had been staring thoughtfully at the remains of the robot, but he raised his eyes. To her surprise, he shook his head before grinning. "I think it's okay if I let this one rest a while. All that fighting made me hungry. Why don't we go and get something to eat? Unless you have to stick around and wait for everyone to regroup to finish."

Julie stared at him for a few moments in surprise before smiling back at him. "I think the match is officially rescheduled."

"Well, then what's stopping us?" Ben offered her his arm and she took it. Together they walked off towards Julie's waiting motor scooter to drive to the nearest restaurant and then to a necessary stop at Mr. Smoothies.

---

**A/N: Obvious title theme is obvious. I hope that those of you who aren't tennis-savvy were able to understand the basic terms after reading the first author's note and that you weren't lost. As for those who do play tennis, please feel free to correct me if you see anything wrong. Overall, I was pleased with this one though I don't like it quite as much as my first Benlie one-shot. **

**Also, because I reached the over-100-reviews mark, I'd like to give a huge round of applause to my reviewers! You guys are great. **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


	25. Sorrow

**A/N: This idea's based off Vendetta though it came to me this morning. It's a one-shot about Kevin, Devin, and Kevin's mom. And just a warning, it's sad. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot. **

---

_"In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing."_

- Robert Ingersoll

_**28. Sorrow **_

"Daddy, where are you going?" The boy stood in front of the front door, his small body blocking the doorway.

"I'm just going to take care of a little Plumber business. I'll be back in a few days." Devin kneeled down, so that he was at his son's level. Kevin was frowning, not at all satisfied by his dad's answer. "Be a good boy while I'm gone, okay?"

Kevin smiled at him innocently. "I'm always good. But I'll be _very_ good if you promise to take me to the park and tell me about your trip when you get back." Devin chuckled at his son, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately.

"Alright, I promise I'll take you to the park."

"And tell me all about your trip?"

Devin stood up, nodding his head. "Of course. Once I'm back, I'll tell you everything over some ice-cream."

Kevin smiled; the promise of ice-cream and his dad's stories bright in his mind. "Ok, then you can go now." He stepped aside to allow his father an unobstructed way towards the door.

"I'll see you in a few days." Devin kissed his son's forehead, gave the boy's hair a final ruffle, and walked out the door.

It was the last image of his dad that Kevin had; back facing him as Devin got into the car along with Kevin's mother to drive off.

--

A few days had passed and today was the much anticipated homecoming of his father. Kevin had woken up early although he knew his dad wouldn't come until much later. Still, excitement did not sit well with sleep and Kevin couldn't have slept anymore if he had wanted to.

He spent the day with impatience for the evening to come. His mom was cooking a nice dinner like she always did when his dad had been away for several days and was now coming home. Because of this, Kevin figured that he wouldn't have time to go to the park today like his dad had promised, but it didn't trouble him. They could go the next day and spend the entire day out.

6 o'clock, 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock all came and went. At 9, his mother called him down for dinner.

"We have to wait for Daddy." Kevin announced adamantly.

"It's getting past your bedtime, Kevin. You need to eat and go to bed."

"But Daddy – "

"-would want you to get to bed on time." His mother looked sternly at him before beckoning him over. She must have seen the complaint rising in Kevin's throat because she added, "Daddy's going to be late and he wouldn't want you to break any rules just for him, would he?"

Kevin was about to complain that it wouldn't matter before stopping himself. He had _promised _his dad that he would be good. If he wasn't good, his dad wouldn't be proud of him and disappointing his dad was the last thing Kevin wanted to do. Plus, he was afraid if he was bad that his dad wouldn't take him to the park.

"Fine." Kevin's shoulders drooped as he walked over and sat down.

His mother sighed. "Don't worry Kevin. You can see Daddy in the morning. Just think of how proud he'll be when I tell him how good you've been."

It was enough to make the boy smile even if he was still downcast about his dad's tardiness. "I have been very good, haven't I?"

His mother nodded in agreement and the two continued their conversation on Devin until the end of dinner. "Now go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll come up to tuck you in."

Kevin wanted to stay up and wait for his dad, but arguing with his mom would run the risk of her telling his dad about him being a bad boy. So instead he scampered upstairs and quickly got himself ready for bed. Once done, he called out to his mom and slid under his covers.

When his mother got upstairs, she tucked the blankets around him. "Now, Kevin, I want you to go to sleep right now. I know you want to see you dad, but it's very late."

"Can I have a story?"

His mother sighed and shook her head. "It's very late."

"But stories always make it easier to fall asleep." Kevin begged. His dad would come home while she was telling the story and then he would be able to greet him. He just needed to stay up a little more. At least that's what he thought.

"Not tonight." His mother smiled as she walked towards the door. "Now go to bed. You don't want to sleep in tomorrow, do you?"

"No." Kevin admitted, disappointed that he had lost the chance at a story. "I guess I'll just go to sleep."

"Good night, Kevin." His mom kissed him softly before turning off the lights and going back downstairs.

Kevin did not go to sleep. Instead he kept his ears peeled for the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house, knowing that his dad would be there. Every time an engine did come roaring past, Kevin rose up and stared out the window. However, the car never stopped and he would always lie back down.

Finally a car did stop and park. Kevin grinned in excitement as he stared out the window before a frown settled over his features. The man who came out of the car did not look like his dad. He was much older. But if this wasn't his father, who was it?

Too curious to stop himself, Kevin opened the door to his bedroom. Whoever the stranger was, he was already in the house, the front door having been opened by his mother. Kevin guessed he wasn't a complete stranger since his mother had opened the door for him, but there was an edge of concern in his mother's voice that Kevin didn't like.

"Is your son here?" He heard the stranger say, glancing towards the staircase. Kevin edged backwards. He knew he couldn't be seen from this particular spot, but it was still unnerving to have a man he'd never met know about him.

"He's sleeping upstairs. Would you like something to drink?"

"Some tea would be nice." The stranger glanced up once again before following his mother into the kitchen. Their voices lessened until Kevin could no longer hear what they were saying.

At this point, there were two things Kevin could do. The good boy thing was to go back to bed and wait until morning to hear what the man had told his mother. And then there was the curious cat type of thing to do; go down there and spy on the conversation. It didn't take long for Kevin to decide that whatever was going on was important enough that he couldn't wait for morning.

Quickly he snuck downstairs and hid by the door to the kitchen. By pressing his ear against the door, he could hear the two adults talking.

"-happened to Devin." Kevin only caught the end of his mother's statement, but her tone made his spine shiver with dread. The way she said it, with such conviction and fear, was a sure sign that something was wrong.

"Yes." The man stopped. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your husband's dead. He died defending Earth."

As his mother broke into sobs, Kevin stared blankly at the door. This was impossible. His dad couldn't be dead. He had promised to come back and take Kevin to the park to regale him with stories and ice-cream. He had _promised_. His dad was not the type of person to break promises. It was why Kevin stuck so steadfastly to his own promises.

Kevin charged into the kitchen, preparing to defend his dad. "You're lying!"

Both his mother and the man looked surprised to see him standing there. Instantly his mother wiped away her tears, but it was the stranger who spoke first.

"Kevin, I'm not lying." He placed a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Your father sacrificed himself to save the world."

"No." Kevin shook his head in disbelief, shaking the hand off his shoulder. "You don't understand. My dad promised me that he'd take me to the park. He _promised _and he never goes back on his promises!" He clenched his fists, tears leaking from his eyes.

The man frowned at him. Obviously he hadn't expected opposition when he had arrived here. "He was a hero Kevin. He saved countless lives."

"He promised…" Kevin insisted, not wanting to believe the horrible truth.

"Kevin…" The man stretched out a hand to comfort Kevin, but the boy had backed away. For the moment, all logic fled his young mind.

"He can't be dead. You must've seen something wrong. He'll be here soon."

The man opened his mouth to say something more, but his mom interrupted. "Max, I'll take it from here. Thank you for coming to tell us."

The man, Max, nodded his head. "Well then I'll be leaving." He headed towards the door, pausing before Kevin. "Always remember that your father loved you. He'd want you to be happy." Then Max headed towards the front door and walked out with a sorrowful glance back at his friend's family.

Kevin watched him go, staring at the door long after it shut. He felt a hand fall on his shoulder, causing him to look up at his mother with teary eyes.

"Daddy's really gone." He didn't want to admit it, but the grief on his mother's face, as much as she was trying to conceal it, was apparent. More tears flooded into his eyes. "How could he leave us?"

"Oh sweetie." His mom scooped Kevin up into her arms. He buried his head into her shoulder, drawing comfort that his mom was still there. But his dad… There would be no going to the park, no ice-cream, no stories, no love. His father was out of his life forever.

"He promised." Kevin whimpered as his mother climbed the steps.

"Kevin, I want you to understand something." She paused. When he didn't say anything, she continued, "Daddy loved you very much. If he hadn't done what he did, bad things would've happened."

"What's worse than Daddy dying?" Kevin asked. He partly understood his mother was saying that his dad had been a hero by sacrificing himself. He had gleaned that information from Max, but it felt better coming from his mom even if she hadn't been there.

His mother paused, trying to think of a way to answer the question delicately. But there was no way. "The rest of the world dying. You know he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if the world was destroyed."

"…I guess." He sniffed.

"Good boy." His mom murmured. She put him down on his bed and tucked him in for the second time that night. Sitting by his side, she gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Now try and get some sleep."

Kevin closed his eyes, lying quietly as his mother stopped wiping his tears and began stroking his hair. "I can't sleep." He announced after a few minutes had passed.

"What if I make you a promise?"

Kevin opened his eyes to look at his mom, waiting silently for her to continue. Since the news of his father's death, the word promise sounded hollow. It was supposed to be a declaration that could not be changed, something that would stand no matter what. And yet his dad, however unintentional, had broken his promise to come home.

"I promise I'll take you to the park tomorrow." She smiled at him.

"And ice-cream?" He asked cautiously.

She nodded her head. "I'll tell you stories over ice-cream. Stories about your dad and the first time I met him. How does that sound?"

Kevin didn't take long to consider it before replying, "Good. But can you tell me a story right now to help me get to bed?"

"Sure." His mother smiled and even though their grieving would continue, things didn't look quite so dark anymore.

---

**A/N: It's a sad topic, but I hope the ending was happy, even a little hopeful (even though we know that things don't stay happy, what with Kevin eventually winding up on the streets). I did my best to remain ambiguous on how Devin died since Kevin doesn't learn the reason until Vendetta. However, I still wanted it to be said that he died sacrificing himself for the world. **

**Originally I was hoping one of the themes would talk about breaking promises, but sadly none (at least that I have yet to use) fit that particular topic. So I just stuck with plain old 'Sorrow' because losing a parent is a horrible experience. **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


	26. Misfortune

**Author's Notes: This will be my first attempt at writing Mytrax aka Myaxx/Tetrax. If you don't like the pairing, don't read. If you're not sure, go ahead and read. If you find yourself liking it, I highly recommend checking out **_**In the Sidelines **_**by Karashi. Reading her Mytrax one-shots actually got me into the pairing in the first place, inspiring me to write this little drabble. There's some mild swearing in this story, but nothing too bad. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, never will. I also don't own the quote at the beginning.**

"_Good art is not what it looks like, but what it does to us."_

~Roy Adzak

_**13. Misfortune**_

"Damn him!"

Tetrax flinched, thankful that the automatic doors prevented the Chimera Sui Generis from slamming the door upon her entrance. Until the moment that she had entered, everything had been serene and peaceful, perfect conditions to work on fixing the blown fuse in his ship. Knowing the task would be impossible with a raging Chimera in the room, Tetrax carefully set down his tools and turned around to face her, "What is it this time, Myaxx?"

There was nothing that the Petrosapien was able to do to keep his jaw from dropping open at the sight of the Chimera Sui Generis. "Wow," he breathed out lightly, astounded at the complete change in Myaxx.

Whereas she had once been larger than him, she was now petite. Her facial tentacles had receded, giving a more feminine appearance to the Chimera Sui Generis. It was an unnatural look.

Her red eyes narrowed and she snapped, "What?"

Despite having changed her appearance, she was much the irritable Myaxx that Tetrax had grown to like. Quickly the Petrosapien asked her a question that he hoped would make her forget about his earlier expression, "Did Azmuth do this to you?"

Myaxx glared again except this time the glare was directed past Tetrax's shoulder at a being that wasn't present. "Yes."

"How?"

"One of his stupid experiments." Myaxx crossed her arms. "He said he wanted to make me more 'docile'." She spat out the word with a look of pure hatred.

"Well, he clearly failed." Tetrax murmured. Myaxx was as rude as ever.

"He refuses to reverse it. Says that I'll be stuck like this forever." She grumbled, obviously not happy about the fate Azmuth had shoved upon her.

"You'll get used to it." Tetrax replied though he wasn't entirely sure. He looked her over again and decided that he preferred the old Myaxx. Her new appearance didn't suit her.

"I hate this. How am I going to get anywhere looking like this?" Despite having returned to helping Azmuth out with his inventions, Myaxx still spent plenty of time conducting her own business around the galaxy. Tetrax wasn't sure what it was, but he could imagine several of her cohorts laughing at the change and several others launching themselves at her. The thought made Tetrax tremble.

"Well…" Tetrax paused. Words had to be handled carefully when speaking with the Chimera Sui Generis. Saying the wrong thing would just cause her to get angry all over and it wasn't something Tetrax wanted to do. "Once they realize you're still the same scary being, you'll gain their respect." Or fear, he silently added.

Myaxx was quiet for several moments and Tetrax thought once again how drastically she had changed on the outside. From a powerful and terrifying figure to such a docile and dare-he-say girly figure.

"And you?" When Tetrax didn't answer to her gently posed question, she added in an irritated tone, "What do you think?"

"I…" If Petrosapiens had been capable of blushing, his face would've been a bright shade of red equivalent to that of a strawberry. As it was, the only way his emotion showed was through his flustered voice. "I don't think it suits you."

Myaxx smiled, aware of the embarrassment going through her Petrosapien companion. "Damn right it doesn't." Stepping closer to Tetrax, she looked into his eyes. "'You don't think I look better like this?"

Tetrax gulped. "Definitely not." Somehow he managed to push the words out of his mouth despite the closed feeling in his throat.

She smiled almost sweetly at him. Even though she didn't say it, he could see that his words had pleased her greatly. Stepping away from him, the Chimera sighed bitterly, "Sadly you'll never see the old me again."

Having gotten past the awkward situation, Tetrax's eyes narrowed in thought. There was no way he was going to let Azmuth keep Myaxx in a state that made her unhappy. They would have to have a talk about it. Perhaps he could convince the Galvan to turn her back… Even Azmuth would cave to save his own skin.

**A/N: Personally I really don't like Myaxx's redesign in Alien Force. She's changed a lot from the tough Chimera Sui Generis in SOTO. I know that it's a different show and all, but I thought it would be interesting if one of Azmuth's experiments had been to blame. It's a misfortune. Originally I was going to have Tetrax threaten Azmuth into turning Myaxx back, resulting in a deal forming. The deal would've been Myaxx serve Azmuth for a year with minimal amounts of backtalking and he would turn her back. Well, when I finished writing the beginning, I realized that the ending was perfect as it is and I shouldn't tamper with it by adding another scene. Let me know what you think. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon**


	27. Are You Challenging Me?

**A/N: I've got family coming into town and I've got to write an entry for an OC tournament over on deviantart. Because of that, I won't be writing one-shots for a while. So I've decided to leave with a fluffy Gwevin one-shot. **

**This one-shot is meant to be their first date. I'm not entirely sure when you could count the start of their dating (my bets are on Save the Last Dance or the end of War of the Worlds when he takes her to the auto-show). For the sake of this one-shot, the dance was an unofficial first date and this will be their first actual date… Or maybe I should just count this as slightly AU… Either way, it's before War of the Worlds. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. Also, I don't own Metallica who get a small mention here (listen to "Welcome Home Sanitarium" - it's a great song). I do own this oneshot. **

"Be of love (a little) more careful than of anything."

- e e cummings

_**74. Are You Challenging Me?**_

"Do you wanna go see a movie?"

"Depends. Are you asking me out?"

Was he? Kevin could see the challenge in her eyes, daring him to say yes, to finally admit that there was something more than friendship in their relationship. The only question was whether or not he wanted to open that box. Did he want to test the waters and step past his hesitation in asking her out?

_Don't lose it, Levin. _A voice in the back of his mind chided him. _Just say yes. You flirt with her all the time, so why is so hard to ask her out? …Unless you're chicken. _

No, he wasn't scared. Just nervous. What if he messed up? Spending his early adolescence in the Null Void hadn't given him normal social skills or taught him anything about how to act with a girl he liked.

And what if her question had meant that if he was asking her out, she didn't want to go? The thought disappeared as soon as it had appeared as he thought back to their previous interactions. It was clear; she liked him and he liked her. So where was the problem?

"Kevin?" Gwen's voice had changed from daring to mildly concerned. He was taking too long, a fact that escaped neither of them.

At that moment, Kevin made his decision. "Of course I'm asking you out. Couldn't you tell?" He smirked, proud that he hadn't gone with the coward's answer after all. He had risen to her challenge.

Gwen smiled back before nudging him. "Next time you may want to go with something more obvious."

"Sorry that this wasn't flashy enough for you." He rolled his eyes, flashing a smile at her. "I'll hire some violins and grab some roses the next time I ask."

Gwen laughed; the image of Kevin kneeling by her door with flowers and cheesy music playing in the background amused her. He smiled at her, relieved that she had laughed at his joke. Things were starting out well.

They drove to the movie theater, with light conversation and Metallica playing on the radio station of Kevin's choice (Gwen had agreed after making him promise to keep the volume down). Upon arriving at the theater, Kevin rushed to open the door for Gwen, earning him a smile from the girl.

A few minutes later, they had settled into seats, the lights dimmed, and the movie began. Several minutes into the movie, Kevin found himself glancing over at the girl sitting next to him.

Wasn't he supposed to put an arm around her? Or would that be skipping past some no-touching-on-the-first-date rule? It wouldn't be the first time they had contact; it happened all the time and she had kissed his cheek on the roof once. But maybe this was different?

Kevin glanced over at Gwen again, trying to gauge whether or not she was expecting him to do anything. To him, she looked lost in the movie. Did that mean he should just let things go the way they were going and stop fussing? But what if she was expecting him to do something? He decided to take the chance.

Gingerly, he stretched out his arm so it rested on the back of Gwen's chair. There was no turning back now. Catching a breath, he let his arm fall until it rested gently on her shoulders.

She flinched at the touch, glancing away from the screen to look at Kevin. He stared back at her, already beginning to regret his move. Slowly he started pulling his arm back, wondering if he had stepped over an impassable line or if it was only a minor error in the course of the whole date. Maybe he could make it up, get –

"Don't." Kevin blinked, prompting Gwen to add, "It's nice." She smiled at him, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

He settled his arm back around her shoulders before leaning back in his seat to watch the rest of the movie. Having been so caught up in his earlier dilemma, he wasn't entirely sure what was going on. But none of that really mattered. All that mattered was that he was on a date (a real date with no aliens to disturb them this time) with Gwen, sitting next to him.

Once the movie ended, the couple walked out of the theater and Kevin drove Gwen to her house. He pulled the car into an idling position. The night had gone wonderfully and now he didn't want to say good-bye to her.

He felt her hand cover his own on the stick shift. "Thank you, Kevin. I had a great night."

Kevin turned his head, so that he was staring into her green eyes. He began to move closer, eyes still watching her for any sign that he should stop. She stared back just as intently, copying his movements.

Gwen's phone rang, their lips mere centimeters apart. She glanced at him apologetically before moving away and picking up. Kevin sighed, leaning back in his seat. He had been so close, but to have a phone call interrupt them… It was like the Highbreed attack all over.

"Hi Dad." Gwen paused. "I'm right outside... No, I was with Kevin…" Her cheeks turned scarlet and she exclaimed, "Daddy! We just went to see a movie… You can save it for when I get inside… Yes, I'll be right in. Bye."

Kevin watched her curiously, wishing that he could've heard what her father had said. Of course, it was easy enough to imagine what her father had suggested that had been received with such a response. The thought made him blush, but fortunately the dark hid it.

The phone snapped shut and Gwen turned to smile at him. "Bye, Kevin. I'll see you tomorrow." She opened the car door.

"What ever happened to kissing?" Kevin pouted.

Gwen smiled cheekily at him and leaned over. Kevin closed his eyes in anticipation. For a few seconds, her lips pressed against his cheek before she pulled away. He opened his eyes, blinking at her in mild confusion.

"Look at this way, now we have something to look forwards to next time." With that, Gwen left the car, waving to him.

Kevin sat still in the car, watching as Gwen went up to the door and stepped inside her house. His cheek was still warm where she had kissed him and he raised a hand to it, a warm smile on his lips. Oh yeah, he was definitely excited for next time.

* * *

**A/N: Writing this gave me such a fluffy and sappy feeling. Even though it came out a bit differently than I imagined, I like it. The title refers to the beginning when Gwen challenges Kevin to ask her out. Most of the stories I've read involving a challenge and Gwevin tend to have Kevin not being pushed into the relationship. So I decided to do the opposite and have him step up to the challenge. Let me know what you think. **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


	28. Dying

**A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated for a long time. Inspiration has been rather stagnant and I've been working on other projects. This piece came to me while I was staring at my screen, trying to think of a one-shot to write to update my long-neglected collection. That's not usually how I find inspiration (usually it just barges into my head whether I want it or not), but it worked this time. The pairing is future!Benlie. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning of this chapter. I do own this oneshot. **

_"Death, the one appointment we all must keep, and for which no time is set."_

- Charlie Chan

_**43. Dying **_

The fight had started alright with Ben battering away at the aliens who had kidnapped her. Everything was going to turn out fine because this was Ben and Ben was unbeatable. Sure, the thought was arrogant, but he had never lost when all things were done and over with.

Then things took a turn for the worst. The leader of the gang, a burly alien with one eye and a large mouth on his chest, shot a laser at Big Chill. It connected, sending the Necrofriggian flying back into the wall.

"Ben!" shouted Julie. Even if things always turned out okay, concern welled up inside of her.

The black smoke cleared from where Big Chill had collided with the wall, but there was no Necrofriggian there. Instead Ben lay against the wall, his chest shaking. He looked down at himself, eyes widening.

"What just happened?" He stood there, momentarily the goofy kid he had once been, taking in his appearance as the leader laughed.

"A specialty of my eye." He tapped his head to indicate the large, purple eye there. "It disables technology of any sort, includin' that fancy watch of yours. What do ya say ta that?"

Julie knew that Ben worked out to keep his human form in top condition, but it wasn't enough to take down an alien mob leader. He didn't have any weapons either, leaving him utterly defenseless. And yet, he was still standing, glaring in defiance.

"Get out of here, Ben!" It was the only solution, Julie had decided.

"I'm not leaving," Ben replied, his eyes shining with determination. "Not without you, at least."

The alien leader laughed. "You'll hafta go through me." He cracked his knuckles, the mouth on his chest stretching into a wide grin.

"Don't worry Julie. I can take him." And quietly she told herself, that everything would be okay because this was Ben and that alien was just a random mobster, no one special like Vilgax or Aggregor. Certainly he could beat this guy.

With that, Ben charged towards the alien. He side-stepped the alien's initial punch before delivering a punch of his own against the alien's tough skin. This only intensified the alien's laughter.

"Ben, leave!" Julie yelled, struggling against the bonds that held her. They didn't seem so strong now, almost as if their strength was slowly fading. Her jaw tightened as she increased her struggles. If only she could get out faster… Then they could make a safe getaway together.

"I already told you I'm. Not. Leaving. Without." The last words Ben spoke were uttered slowly, matching each time that Ben managed to dodge his opponent's moves. Just as his mouth opened to say "You", the alien switched tactics, swinging out his leg instead of an arm. The man fell to the ground.

"Ben!" The bonds were so weak now. If only she had worked out a bit more, then maybe she could've torn through already.

"And now I'll kill the great Ben 10,000!"

There was a sickening crunch as the alien brought both beefy arms down upon Ben's body. And then silence as Julie felt her whole world swirl away into darkness. Vaguely she was aware that the chains had snapped, the metal dissolving just like her vision.

However it didn't matter that she was free. Nothing mattered because Ben was the only thing left in her sight, his skull and rib cage shattered. He was dying, if not already dead, and there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it.

* * *

She sat up, chest heaving. Tears dripped from her eyes, leaving salty trails down her face. _Ben! No, Ben, not Ben! He can't die._

Slowly as her vision became focused, she noted that her surroundings weren't the dark warehouse that the battle had taken place. They weren't even some unknown headquarters where the aliens could've taken her after the battle. No, it was the familiar scene of her bedroom. Which meant…

Julie looked to her side, a small sigh of relief escaping her at the sight of a snoring Ben. It had all been a horrible nightmare, nothing more.

_And I got so worked up about it._ Julie chided herself softly, using the sleeve of her nightgown to dab at her eyes. _Ben's perfectly fine. Nothing will happen to me or to him. _

And so with those quiet reassurances, she felt her breathing steady itself and the loud hammering of her heart slow (how Ben could've missed it, she didn't know, but he had always been a hard sleeper).

"All just a bad dream." Julie murmured softly to herself. She reached out a shaking hand to touch Ben's warm skin, further reassurance that he was still alive.

However, there remained a seed of truth within the horrible vision. Over the years, Julie had forgotten just how dangerous an occupation Ben had. She had grown used to him coming home after every mission, safe and sound. She had let herself forget that he could very well die out there.

Julie took a deep breath. Yes, the risk would always remain, no matter how invincible Ben appeared or how many times he came home. This thought almost triggered the start of more sobbing, but she stopped herself beforehand.

Yes, Ben could be blown apart on any adventure, but he might also pass away softly in his sleep. He could be beaten to death or he could catch a disease and wither away in bed. There were so many ways for a person to die and just because Ben faced death far more often than the average human, didn't mean he would die soon. Dwelling on it would only turn her paranoid.

Smiling to herself, Julie laid back down. She edged closer to Ben before closing her eyes. Yes, death could strike at any minute and that was not a fact to be forgotten, but she shouldn't have to become swamped with fear.

After all, there was a time and place for everything, death included.

* * *

**A/N: This theme was especially difficult to come up with an idea because I wanted to avoid something cliché. Hopefully I've managed to do it. This turned out a lot harder than I originally anticipated (maybe it's because I wasn't inspired in the usual fashion). I had to rewrite the ending several times before I was satisfied. Theme is obvious here. Review and let me know what you think. It might take a while to respond to reviews because I'll be going out of town, but rest assured that I will eventually respond to them. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	29. Horror

**Author's Notes: I've had several ideas for drabbles, but they've all wound up either unfinished or not even written down. The problem's been a mixture of no time (I've got school, basketball practice, and a novel I'm working on) and an intense dislike towards everything I write. It seems like every drabble I've started turns out terrible and I wind up unable to finish it. So there's my excuse for not updating for so long… **

**I'm quite pleased with how this drabble came out. It takes place after Absolute Power. I'm not really sure how much after it, but definitely a week at the least. This one was tough to find a good quote for and the one I found doesn't work perfectly, but just imagine 'sensual pleasure' equals 'hunger for energy'. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning. **

"_If one wants another only for some self-satisfaction, usually in the form of sensual pleasure, that wrong desire takes the form of lust rather than love."_

- Mortimer Adler

_**65. Horror**_

"This is nice," Gwen remarked.

"Yeah," Kevin mumbled, taking a glance at the idealized world around them.

They were at a beach with pure white sand, glittering blue water, and a gorgeous orange sunset, a picturesque scene. Besides the couple, the beach was deserted; there weren't even any birds in the air. The only sound was the lapping of the waves on the shore, a few feet from their feet. Kevin and Gwen sat side-by-side on a towel, fingers entwined.

Kevin's eyes returned to Gwen. She was radiant, her skin seeming to emanate more light than even the sun itself. And light was energy… The thought appeared in his mind, feeding a hunger that he had pushed away.

The sun was setting, their surroundings dimming. However, this did nothing to stem the light coming from Gwen or the tantalizing desire growing in Kevin.

"Gwen, lovely Gwen," he breathed the words out softly.

She glanced at him innocently, entirely unaware of all the emotions churning through his mind. Even he wasn't really sure how to sort through them all.

Desire. His hand stretched out for her.

Devotion. The hand hesitated, trembling in the air.

Lust. His hand wrapped around her left arm. The other hand, which had been holding hers, moved up to seize her right arm.

Love. His grip was light on her arms. She had turned around, so that they now sat facing one another.

Hunger. His hands suddenly tightened on her arms, a predatory grip to ensure that she didn't escape.

"Kevin?" Her voice was gentle, soft, delicate, trusting. And questioning.

He didn't answer her, just continued to stare at her radiance. He wanted it. The powerful urge caused his powers to kick in and her face crumbled in pain. The beautiful sunset and beach fell away, replaced by darkness.

"Stop it, Kevin! You're hurting me!" She yelled, struggling in his grip.

He didn't answer. He didn't think. He only gave into that crying hunger, that lust for her energy. It felt so delicious, a thousand times better than a drink for a thirsty man or a slice of bread for a starved man. The energy hummed through him, filling him with her power.

"…Kevin." Her voice was growing smaller, fading away as he sucked away her energy. "Stop, Kevin, stop right now. This isn't you."

A smirk, fed by the thrill of energy, curled on to his face. "Of course it's me. It's just the part of me you don't like so much."

"No, this isn't you." Gwen repeated. "Stop now, Kevin, or you'll regret this."

"Doubt it." His smirk widened.

Gwen opened her mouth to say something more, but the words lodged in her throat. A screech escaped her, her back arching. Still, Kevin held her tightly, continuing to suck away that sweet energy.

The radiance that she had been emitting was dimming rapidly. Her eyes stared beseechingly at him; he stared back with a mad gleam. Her skin began to wrinkle and fold, her eyes lost their shine. Yet he continued to feed.

Then her light disappeared, plunging them into darkness. He released her, every cell in his body thrumming with power. The energy Kevin had been draining glowed around his hands, illuminating the sin he had committed.

Gwen lay unmoving on the ground. Her skin was gray and wrinkled; her eyes stared lifelessly at Kevin. Where there had once been life and energy, there was now only an empty husk.

At first he stared dispassionately at the carcass, but then realization hit him. Kevin backed away, glancing between his glowing hands and the body in dawning horror.

"Gwen," he choked. "Gwen, what have I done? Gwen! Gwen!"

* * *

"Gwen!" Kevin shouted, sitting up suddenly with a strangled gasp. His body was coated in sweat. He stared at his familiar surroundings, breathing slowly returning to normal.

He buried his head in his hands, trying to push away the awful vestiges of the nightmare. But every image, every emotion, and worst of all, the hunger remained at the front of his mind.

Ever since he had first tasted Gwen's energy, he had held a deep hunger for it. When he had been a monster, it was apparent and he had been unable to control himself from going after his prey. However, once he had turned back, he had forced the hunger into a box, convincing himself it would just go away because he wasn't a monster anymore.

Yet it had remained in the back of his mind. Easy enough to ignore and forget, but still lurking and yearning, still existing.

Kevin raised his head from his hands to stare at the wall. What could he do? What should he do? Should he leave, just in case the hunger ever overwhelmed him when he was close to her? He didn't want to hurt her, but on the other hand, he didn't want to leave her either. She meant too much for him to just up and leave and anyway, his departure would hurt her in another way.

That left killing himself or pretending everything was okay. Suicide didn't appeal to Kevin and he didn't think he could just lock away the hunger again. One day, it could just burst out like it had in his nightmare and then he would be in trouble.

Which meant he had to control it. It seemed impossible to him until he thought about the love he felt towards Gwen. There was no way in hell he would let anyone hurt her, least of all himself. Sure, there was a part of him that wanted her energy, but there was another part of him, a larger part, that loved her and everything about her.

And that love, he decided, would be able to keep the hunger in check because he was stronger than that and he sure wasn't going to give into some petty wish for power when there was love on the line.

* * *

**A/N: Show of hands of people who wanted to strangle me because they thought the first part was actually happening and it wasn't all a dream. **

**So after watching Absolute Power, I got to thinking about Osmosian minds. Just because Kevin's normal again doesn't mean the hunger for energy (Gwen's energy in this scenario) has disappeared. He has enough sanity to keep it at bay and not absorb energy. I don't think Kevin would try absorbing Gwen's energy, but that doesn't mean it's not lurking in his mind.**

**On another note, I've just noticed how much dream scenes I've been writing recently (points to previous drabble). Strange… I'll see if I can get one of my other drabbles, hopefully one of the fluffier ones, fixed to my satisfaction. Also, I'm working on a full-length Ben 10 story. I'm hoping to write at least two chapters before my winter break ends, but we'll see how it goes. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	30. Abandoned

**Author's Notes: This is a journey into new terrain. Ever since I've read Karashi's fanfics on the pair, I've enjoyed this crack pairing. So enjoy this drabble for Darkcaster! It takes place a few days after "Where the Magic Happens". **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

"_Gone – flitted away,_

_Taken the stars from the night and the sun_

_From the day!_

_Gone, and a cloud in my heart."_

-Alfred Tennyson

_**38. Abandoned **_

His fist collided with the door multiple times before dropping by his side. He waited, boots impatiently scuffing the ground. _What the hell's taking her so long? _Scowling, he pounded at the door again.

Several minutes passed and she still didn't come out. There had been one time before when she had played with him by making him wait at the door, but this was different. That time she had laughed at him and anyway he could always sense her powerful mana signature.

This time, nothing. No sounds disturbed the silent night and there wasn't a single whiff of that delicious mana.

Angrily, thinking it might still be a prank despite better intuition telling him otherwise, he knocked louder and yelled, "Charmcaster! This isn't funny!"

Still, no reply.

"I'm coming in if you don't unlock this door right now!"

Again, there was no reply, so he powered up his dark energy and slammed it into the door. It was a bit brutal, for it sent the door flying off its hinges, but it worked.

The interior of her home was quiet and dark. He walked in cautiously, eyes peering around the dusty furniture. It looked like it had been deserted. His scowl deepened.

If she had left the house, she would've taken her books along. With that reassuring thought, he proceeded to her library. All the books were still there, but no Charmcaster and no clue as to where she had gone.

_Where have you disappeared to? _He circled the room, picking up on her trace but nothing strong enough to indicate she had been here today. In fact, it was likely she hadn't been there for a few days now.

But he knew she wouldn't leave without her books, which were still there, and he, in his heart, hoped that she wouldn't leave without giving him some word. They had been close; fury rose in him as he wondered why she had left. She couldn't just abandon them.

He paused. Them? He couldn't recall when he had begun thinking of it like that. It had started as an I-rub-your-back, you-rub mine relationship and had progressed from there. Exactly what they were he couldn't define, but he did know they were too close for one to just depart suddenly without telling the other.

_I'm not letting her disappear without trying to find her. I'll die if I don't. _It wasn't a romantic sentiment in the least. He relied on and relished her mana. Even though she never gave enough to restore him to his handsome state (maybe she couldn't), she always made sure to give him enough to keep him alive and fairly healthy. Without her source… He didn't even want to think about what he would be forced to resort to.

He returned to the area where the signature had been the strongest. There wasn't a trail, it just disappeared. He sighed. _This is useless. I can't track her._

"You won't be able to find her, boy."

He whirled around, bolts of dark energy appearing in his hands. From under his mask, he glared at the magician. "Just because you can't doesn't mean I won't be able to, old man."

Hex shook his head. "I mean she's gone. She left this realm."

"How?" The dark energy disappeared and he crossed his arms. He wanted to ask why, but didn't dare in case the answer was unpleasant.

"A portal, of course." Hex rolled his eyes. "You won't be able to follow her to where she's gone."

He frowned. "If I get my own portal?"

"It'll take more than that to find her. You'd need to know the true name of the place she's gone." Hex replied.

"Do you know?" He was ready to fight if he needed to, just so he could extract this information from the man.

Hex noticed this readiness and laughed, "You won't get it out of me." Then Hex glared at him, energy crackling around his body. "If I were you, I'd leave and never return. Forget about her. You aren't welcome here anymore."

"I want to know." Dark energy bolts surrounded his hands again. Before he could shoot them out, a yellow shield had gone up before Hex.

"Cast it from your mind, Darkstar. Looking for her is futile even if you did know where she had gone. Anyway, I doubt she'd want to leave." With that, the magician teleported from the room.

Darkstar scowled at the library. Just in case Hex had simply hidden himself nearby, he announced, "Fine. I won't waste my time."

He left the building, thinking it over. Charmcaster was gone. Hunger called out to him, crying out for his regular mana supply. A rat skittered in his path and he promptly blasted it. Its corpse crumbled to the ground as its small amount of energy entered him. It barely stemmed the horrible ache of hunger, but it was something.

_A thousand more rats and I should be good, _he thought bitterly.

But it was more than hunger weighing on him. There was something, an awful stirring in his heart. It was the ache of wanting someone to be there who was not. Yearning for someone who was out of reach. Darkstar closed his eyes, blocking out that ache with thoughts of hunger. He would go hunting and forget about that foolish twinge. It was stupid anyway.

* * *

**A/N: My first foray into Darkcaster, let me know how I did. It was fun to write and I think I may write another drabble some time where the two actually interact. However, my next drabble is definitely going to be some Gwevin. I just have to polish it. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon**


	31. Mirror

**Author's Notes: Wow, I'm on a roll with these. It's so nice to have motivation and time to write. Sadly the break will be ending next week and then all my lovely time will be gone. I've got a few more ideas that I want to explore, but we'll see how much writing I can get done. This is another short one (this time, Gwevin), but I hope to finish a longer piece soon. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or the quote at the beginning.**

"_We come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly."_

- Sam Keen

_**75. Mirror**_

Kevin glanced furtively around the empty room, going so far as to check out the door several times. Satisfied that he was completely alone, he walked up to the large mirror and took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Gwen, I wanted to ask you something." He started, putting all the charm possible into his voice. "It's really important and..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"No, that's not right." Kevin paused, trying to think of a way to make the words not come out wooden, and then he started again, "Gwen, we've been dating for a long time now and I know you love me and I know I love you too and I know I don't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else, so… Argh!"

Kevin punched the wall at the mirror's side, glaring angrily at his reflection. His reflection glared right back, accusing him for not being able to do this. He had sounded like a bumbling fool, not like the debonair man he usually was (or thought he was). Why was it so difficult to get out a few words?

Maybe it was because this was important. Maybe because it required planning and didn't just rely on spontaneous activity. Maybe because it was such a huge step, because it would lead to a huge change in their lives. He wanted it to be absolutely perfect like in those romantic movies they occasionally watched.

Kevin snorted. In the movies, it seemed so easy. It was just get down and pop the question. There was none of this struggle, none of this careful planning. It was scripted and simple.

Was that the trick? Using a script? Kevin considered it. It would be easy, but it wasn't honest and it wasn't Kevin. Scripts didn't make reality, they just mirrored it. Or tried to. He tried to think of himself stealing the words from their mouths and using them on Gwen. It would be laughable; it would feel like a lie because they wouldn't be his words. They'd be the words of some script writer somewhere else.

He stared deeply at his reflection, trying to see what Gwen would see. They would be going to a fancy restaurant soon for dinner, so he had dressed up nicely for the occasion, even washing his hair from the labors of the day. The plan was to eat and then take her somewhere where he could do it. Well, at least he knew he would look good doing it. He smiled at his reflection, briefly admiring himself, before setting his face into a neutral expression.

_Let's try this again. _Kevin squared his shoulders and then lowered himself in one smooth movement into a kneeling position. Simultaneously, he pulled the velvet box from his pocket and presented it in front of him. Imagining Gwen standing there, it almost seemed like she was there in the mirror, he asked while exposing the ring,

"Gwen, will you marry me?" There, simple and not beating around the bush with excess words. Just the way he liked it.

"Well, it certainly took you long enough to ask."

Kevin gasped. He caught her reflection in the mirror before whirling around to face her, keeping his hands and the box behind his back.

"Gwen, I thought you weren't coming around until later." The words stuttered out of his mouth. He felt his face grow hot and his hands begin to sweat. Numbly he wondered how many other guys got caught practicing for the big moment. "What made you decide to come earlier?"

"I got off early and decided to surprise you." She walked towards him, smiling. "I guess we were both surprised." Her eyes flickered from his face to the mirror behind him, trying to catch the reflection of the box he was holding. However, he was much too tall and she couldn't see.

"Got that right." Kevin looked away. All his careful planning had fallen to pieces and now there was no way to rectify the moment. For lack of anything else to say, he added, "You weren't supposed to see that."

"So are you taking it back?"

Kevin looked back at Gwen. She was standing in front of him now, arms folded and face pulled into an unreadable expression. He knew that pose; it meant she was disappointed in him. He also knew that he wasn't going to let her stay disappointed in him.

"No." Kevin pulled the box out from behind him, presenting the shining ring to her. Though he didn't kneel again, he did repeat, "Will you marry me?"

A radiant smile burst on Gwen's face as she embraced him. "Of course I will."

They pulled apart and Gwen held out her hand for Kevin. Smiling broadly, he slipped the ring on her finger and then embraced her again. They kissed to seal the deal.

It hadn't been the movie perfect proposal Kevin had been thinking about. It hadn't been done in the moonlight or at the top of a bridge or anywhere else particularly romantic. It hadn't been done with music playing or birds singing or crickets chirping in the background. It hadn't been done with style; in fact, he hadn't even been facing her when the question had first left his lips. It hadn't followed any of his plans.

But to the two of them, it was perfect.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that wasn't too cheesy at the end. Thank you for reading and thank you to all my reviewers. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon**


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